Guide To Colon Cancer Diagnosis And Treatment Options

Bowel Resection

Colon cancer patients may need to undergo a surgical operation referred to as bowel resection. The term resection is used to describe any procedure involving the removal of tissues or parts of an organ. This procedure focuses on the removal of the cancerous tumor from the large intestine. The part of the large intestine that contains the cancerous growth is removed as well as any surrounding lymph nodes that have been affected by cancer. Once the diseased section of the large intestine has been removed, the healthy portions of the large intestine are sewn together. A bowel resection to treat colon cancer can be performed as an open resection where a large incision is made in the patient's abdomen, or it can be done by laparoscopy or through a small incision using specialized scope and instruments.

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Radiofrequency Ablation

Colon cancer patients often need radiofrequency ablation to treat their cancerous tumor. Radiofrequency ablation is a method where high-energy radio waves are used to destroy tumor cells. Radiofrequency ablation is performed by using an ultrasound or CT scan on a patient to help the surgeon guide a thin probe through the skin and to the malignant tumor. Once the probe is in place, high-frequency radio waves are carried by an electric current to the tip of the probe in the patient's tumor. When the radio waves reach the tumor tissues, it causes damage to the small blood vessels that feed the growing tumor cells. Without blood flow, the tumor tissues experience what is known as coagulative necrosis, or cellular death from lack of blood supply. Radiofrequency ablation is commonly used in conjunction with surgery to treat colon cancer to destroy areas of the tumor that may have spread to other organs and tissues not removed during surgery.