Colon cancer, or bowel cancer, development is connected with “Western lifestyle” that is becoming more and more popular over the world. This includes consuming greater amounts of alcoholic drinks, red and processed meat, lower physical activity and excessive body mass.
Colon cancer, or bowel cancer, development is connected with “Western lifestyle” that is becoming more and more popular over the world. This includes consuming greater amounts of alcoholic drinks, red and processed meat, lower physical activity and excessive body mass.
High prevalence and incidence of the disease require elaboration of the new treatment options. The paradigm of colon cancer therapy has shifted to minimally invasive surgical interventions instead of open traumatic surgeries, and to individualized targeted treatment instead of classic chemotherapy.
Endoscopic Surgery and Chemoembolization
When cancer diagnosis is confirmed early enough, surgical removal of the tumor is the best option. German doctors give priority to minimally invasive interventions, as they are tolerated better and connected with less health risks. The following endoscopic procedures may be performed:
- Removal of a malignant polyp during the simple colonoscopy.
- Endoscopic resection of the intestinal mucous membrane in presence of larger superficial malignancies.
- Laparoscopic surgery in tumors that have invaded the bowel wall or affected nearby lymph nodes.
Embolization is one more efficient therapy that is used in patients with spreading of the process to liver. Arterial embolization blocks vessels that feed tumor, depriving it from nutrients. Chemoembolization, or TACE, adds benefits of local application of the antineoplastic medications.
Local Radiation Therapy and Radioembolization
External-beam radiation therapy delivers more intense irradiation to the target region but the same time damages nearby healthy tissues. Local radiation therapy, including endocavitary radiotherapy and interstitial brachytherapy, does not have this undesirable side effect:
- Endocavitary radiotherapy includes introduction of small balloon-like device through the anus into the intestine. Being placed near the tumor, the device delivers high dose of radiation. The whole procedure takes about 4 minutes.
- Interstitial brachytherapy is implantation of small radioactive pellets (“seeds”) into the neoplasm. Action of radiation is limited by the neoplasm borders, as it is able to travel only a short distance.
Radioembolization is one more multiple-purpose option that is available in German hospitals. It combines radiation therapy with embolization, as emboli for the vessels’ blockage are coated with radioactive substances.
Drug Therapy – From Classic Chemo to Targeted Drugs
Classic chemotherapy is still applied in patients with colon cancer. It kills residual malignant cells after the surgery, decreases the tumor size before the surgery or alleviates symptoms at the advanced disease stages. In addition to chemotherapeutic drugs, German doctors administer:
- Targeted therapy is aimed at repairing the specific changes that occur in patients with colon malignancies. These are the excessive blood vessels formation (drugs Avastin, Zaltrap, Cyramza), excessive expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (drugs Erbitux, Vectibix), and excessive kinase activity (drug Stivarga).
- Immunotherapy restores function of patient’s own immune system, so it regains ability to find and destroy malignant cells. This group mostly includes the immune checkpoint inhibitors, like Opdivo, Keytruda, and Yervoy.
Symptomatic treatment is also an obligatory part of complex therapy in oncology. While the main drugs are killing malignant cells, symptomatic treatment improves patient’s state and supports the vital organs.
Treatment of the International Patients in Germany
When you are planning to travel and receive colon cancer treatment in Germany, it will be more safe and convenient for you to use services of Booking Health. Booking Health is the only world’s medical tourism provider that cooperates with all leading German hospitals and takes care about treatment of patients from 75 countries.
Specialists of Booking Health will help you in:
- Choosing the right hospital based on the annual statistics and reviews.
- Establishing preliminary communication with your physician.
- Understanding the approximate medical program.
- Excluding overpricing and additional coefficients for foreign patients (saving up to 50%).
- Booking the urgent appointment.
- Buying and forwarding of medicines.
- Distant communication with the physician after treatment completion.
- Translation of further recommendations, from modification of the cancer risk factors to drugs intake.
- Organization of additional examinations, if necessary.
- Booking hotels and plane tickets, transfer, finding medical interpreter.
Leave your request on the Booking Health website, and wait for a call from coordinating medical specialist the same day.
