Treatment of stage 3 . colon cancer

Stage 3 colon cancer is when cancer cells have spread to nearby lymph nodes, but they have not spread to other parts of the body. Surgery to remove the part of the colon with cancer (partial resection) along with nearby lymph nodes and adjuvant chemotherapy is the treatment for stage 3 colon cancer.

Most colorectal cancers are "silent" tumors. They grow slowly and you may not notice any symptoms until they are large.
Your doctor may recommend one or more tests and tests to diagnose stage 3 colon cancer as follows:
Colonoscopy : Using a long, flexible, thin tube attached to a video camera and screen to see your entire colon and rectum. If any suspicious areas are found, your doctor may pass an instrument through the tube to take a tissue sample (biopsy) for analysis and to remove the polyp. Blood tests: There is no blood test that can tell you if you have colon cancer. But your doctor may do blood tests for clues about your overall health, such as liver and kidney function tests. If you have been diagnosed with colon cancer, your doctor may recommend tests to determine the stage of the cancer. This helps determine the most appropriate stage 3 colon cancer treatment for you.
Staging tests may include imaging such as CT scans of the abdomen, pelvis, and chest. In many cases, the stage of your colon cancer may not be determined until after surgery.

Stage 3 colon cancer is when cancer cells have spread to nearby lymph nodes, but they have not spread to other parts of the body. So stage 3 colon cancer is curable? Accordingly, surgery to remove the cancerous portion of the colon (partial resection) along with nearby lymph nodes and adjuvant chemotherapy is the standard treatment for stage 3 colon cancer.
For Chemotherapy, FOLFOX (5-FU, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin) or CapeOx (capecitabine and oxaliplatin) regimens are used most often, but some patients may receive 5-FU with leucovorin or capecitabine alone, depending on age. and health status.
For some stage 3 colon cancers that cannot be completely removed with surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy along with radiation therapy (also called chemoradiation) may be recommended to shrink the tumor .
For some patients with advanced colon cancer that has been surgically removed, but the detection of cancer cells is attached to nearby organs or is positive (some cancers may have left behind) adjuvant radiation therapy is recommended. Radiation therapy or chemotherapy may be options for people who are not healthy enough for surgery.

2.1. Treatment of stage 3 colon cancer with surgery If the cancer has grown into or through the colon, your surgeon may recommend:
Partial colectomy: In this procedure, the doctor may recommend: The surgeon removes the part of the colon that contains the cancer along with a portion of normal tissue on either side of the cancer. Surgeons can usually reattach healthy parts of the colon or rectum. This procedure can usually be done with a minimally invasive method (laparoscopic surgery). Surgery to make way for waste out of the body: This method is used when healthy parts of the colon or rectum cannot be reconnected. Sometimes this surgery is only temporary, allowing your colon or rectum time to heal after surgery. However, in some cases, colectomy and colostomy are permanent. Lymph node resection: Nearby lymph nodes are also often removed during colon cancer surgery and cancer testing. 2.2. Chemotherapy for stage 3 colon cancer Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy for stage 3 colon cancer is usually given after surgery if the cancer is larger. This way, chemotherapy can kill any remaining cancer cells in the body and help reduce the risk of colon cancer coming back.
Chemotherapy can also sometimes be used before surgery to shrink a large cancer to make it easier to remove.
Chemotherapy may also be used to relieve symptoms of colon cancer that cannot be removed with surgery or has spread to other areas of the body.
For some people with low-risk stage 3 colon cancer, there may be a shorter course of chemotherapy after surgery. It can reduce side effects compared to traditional chemotherapy and may be just as effective.
2.3. Radiation therapy for stage 3 colon cancer Radiation therapy is a method of using high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. It is often used to treat colon cancer because this type of tumor tends to recur near where it originally appeared. A radiotherapy regimen or schedule is usually given at certain intervals to treat stage 3 colon cancer.
For colon cancer, radiation therapy may be used before surgery (adjuvant neoplasia) to shrink the tumor. It can also be used after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells.
Both approaches work for stage 3 colon cancer. Chemotherapy is often given at the same time as radiation therapy to increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy.
Radiation therapy is often used in colon cancer before surgery to avoid removing the colon or reducing the chance of the cancer coming back. One study found that chemotherapy before surgery worked well and caused fewer side effects than the same chemotherapy and radiation therapy after surgery. Key benefits include a reduced rate of cancer recurrence in the area where it started, fewer patients needing a permanent colectomy, and fewer problems with scarring in the bowel where radiation therapy was given.
Talk to your doctor about the possible side effects of radiation therapy. Side effects from radiation therapy may include fatigue, mild skin reactions, abdominal pain, and loose stools. It can also cause bloody stools from bleeding through the rectum or a bowel obstruction. Most side effects of radiation therapy go away as soon as treatment is finished.
Sexual problems as well as infertility in both men and women can occur after pelvic radiation therapy. Before starting radiation therapy, talk to your doctor about the effects on sexual health and fertility and the options available to fertility preservation during cancer treatment.

Doctors recommend that healthy people with no signs or symptoms of colon cancer still have some screening tests to look for signs of colon cancer or noncancerous colon polyps. If colon cancer is detected at the earliest stage, there is a high chance of cure. Colon cancer screening has been shown to reduce the risk of dying from the disease.
Doctors generally recommend that people at average risk of colon cancer begin screening at age 50. But those at higher risk, such as having a family history. If you have colon cancer, you should consider screening earlier.
There are several colon cancer screening options, and each option has its own benefits and limitations. Talking with your doctor about screening options will help you decide which test is right for you. If colonoscopy is used for screening, polyps can be removed during the colonoscopy before they turn cancerous.
Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has a Colon Cancer Screening Package. When screening for colon cancer at Vinmec, you will receive:
Gastrointestinal CK examination (by appointment) Diagnostic colonoscopy with flexible bronchoscope (with NBI machine, with anesthesia) Complete colonoscopy with NBI endoscope with anesthesia (Drugs) Complete colonoscopy with NBI endoscope, with anesthesia (VTTH) Routine histopathological examination fixed, transferred, cast, cut, stained... the Biopsy specimens (lower gastrointestinal tract through colonoscopy, rectum).

References: cancer.org, mayoclinic.org, cancer.net