A Part of the University of Maryland Medical Center

• General Information About Colon Cancer
• Stages of Colon Cancer
• Recurrent Colon Cancer
• Treatment Option Overview
• Treatment Options for Colon Cancer
• To Learn More About Colon Cancer

• GI Oncology

• Treatment Services
• Multidisciplinary Approach to Care
• Physicians and Staff
• Liver-Directed Therapies Program
• Pancreatic Cancer Therapy Program
• Trilogy Radiation Therapy
• Patient Education...
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    Related Resources
• Digestive Diseases Center
• Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program
• Clinical Trials
• Information for Patients

Treatment Options for Colon Cancer

A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.

Stage 0 (Carcinoma in Situ)

Treatment of stage 0 (carcinoma in situ) may include the following types of surgery:

• Local excision or simple polypectomy.
• Resection and anastomosis. This is done when the tumor is too large to remove by local excision.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage 0 colon cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Stage I Colon Cancer

Treatment of stage I colon cancer is usually resection and anastomosis.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage I colon cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Stage II Colon Cancer

Treatment of stage II colon cancer may include the following:

• Resection and anastomosis.
• Clinical trials of chemotherapy or biologic therapy after surgery.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage II colon cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Stage III Colon Cancer

Treatment of stage III colon cancer may include the following:

• Resection and anastomosis followed by chemotherapy.
• Clinical trials of chemotherapy after surgery.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage III colon cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Stage IV and Recurrent Colon Cancer

Treatment of stage IV and recurrent colon cancer may include the following:

• Resection with or without anastomosis.
• Surgery to remove parts of other organs, such as the liver, lungs, and ovaries, where the cancer may have recurred or spread.
• Radiation therapy or chemotherapy may be offered to some patients as palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
• Chemotherapy and targeted therapy with a monoclonal antibody.
• Clinical trials of chemotherapy and/or targeted therapy with a monoclonal antibody.

Treatment of locally recurrent colon cancer may be local excision.

Special treatments of cancer that has spread to or recurred in the liver may include the following:

• Chemotherapy followed by resection.
• Radiofrequency ablation or cryosurgery.
• Clinical trials of hepatic chemoembolization with radiation therapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage IV colon cancer and recurrent colon cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.