Saturday, July 12, 2008

Name of a rare cancer that is treated like colon cancer


Name of a rare cancer that is treated like colon cancer?
My friend's relative has a rare cancer and the Doctors are treating her with the same methods as they would use on a patient with colon cancer. Any idea what this cancer could be called? My friend can't remember the name of it and I am trying to find out. Thank you in advance.
Cancer - 5 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Not all colon cancer is the same there are about a dozen types. The treatment if colon cancer if early enough is extremal successful. A rarer form of digestive cancer is cancer of the small intestine
2 :
Neuroendocrine tumors?
3 :
Might be a carcinoid tumor of the GI tract. Rare. Treated like colon cancer. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/carcinoid-tumors/DS00834
4 :
It could be so many things, but I wonder if the cancer is near the color. The small intestine and large intestine are both possibilities. The symptoms and treatments can be similar, so that's why I thought it might be an option. You can also browse through WebMD for other cancers to see other options.
5 :
Anal Cancer Anal cancer is a rare type of cancer. The anus is where stool leaves your body when you go to the bathroom. It is made up of your outer layers of skin and the end of your large intestine. Anal cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the tissues of the anus. Symptoms include bleeding, pain or lumps in the anal area. Anal itching and discharge can also be signs of anal cancer. Possible treatments include radiation, chemotherapy and surgery. Your treatment will depend whether the tumor has spread, and on the type, size and location of the tumor. Treatment Options by Stage The type of treatment your cancer care team will recommend depends on the type of cancer and how far it has spread. This section sums up the options available for anal cancer treatment according to the stage of disease. Treatment of anal melanoma is separately discussed in the American Cancer Society document, Melanoma Skin Cancer. Anal tumors affecting the anal margin or the perianal skin (and not the anal canal) are considered to be skin cancers and are not treated in the same way as anal canal cancers. Stage 0: : Anal cancers are rarely diagnosed at this stage. Because stage 0 tumors do not invade beneath the top layer of the anal canal, they can often be completely removed by surgery (local resection). Stages I and II: Local resection can be used to remove small tumors (usually less than 1 centimeter or ½ inch) that do not involve the sphincter. If the cancer can't be removed by a local resection without harming the anal sphincter, you will likely be treated with combined radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Even if it can be removed with local surgery, many doctors recommend adding chemotherapy and radiation therapy as a safeguard. In the past, the standard treatment was a radical surgery called abdominoperineal (AP) resection that would result in a colostomy. But doctors have found that chemotherapy and external-beam radiation almost always work just as well and avoid the need for a colostomy. Combining radiation therapy and chemotherapy has been shown to be better than radiation alone. The 2 treatments are given over the same time period. The chemotherapy usually consists of 5-FU with either mitomycin C or cisplatin. The mitomycin or cisplatin is given as a short intravenous (IV) injection, usually at the start of radiation treatment and then again near the end, at around 4 to 6 weeks. The 5-FU is often given by a long IV infusion over 4 to 5 days and repeated in 4 to 6 weeks. In some cases, your doctor may suggest internal radiation along with the external beam radiation. If the cancer has not completely gone away after radiation and chemotherapy have been completed, surgery may be needed to remove what remains. But it is important to know that it may take several weeks after completing radiation therapy for the cancer to disappear completely. Stage IIIA: In most cases, the first choice of treatment is radiation therapy and chemotherapy as in stage I and II disease. If part of the tumor remains despite the use of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, more treatment may be given. In certain cases, surgery (either a local resection or a more extensive operation) can be done. If the cancer has spread to local lymph nodes, these may be removed with surgery or treated with radiation therapy. Stage IIIB: A cure is possible with stage IIIB disease, but it is harder to achieve. The most common approach to treatment is radiation therapy plus chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, followed by surgery (local resection or APR) to remove any remaining tumor. Surgery to remove the cancer-containing lymph nodes may be done during this operation or at a later time. Because cancer at this stage can be hard to treat, people with stage IIIB anal cancer might be helped by taking part in a clinical trial. Stage IV: In this advanced stage of disease, treatment is aimed at controlling the disease and relieving symptoms. To do this, doctors may recommend surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or some combination of these methods. People with this stage of anal cancer might also want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Recurrent anal cancer: If your cancer returns in the anus or local lymph nodes after treatment, the choices available to you may depend on what treatment you had the first time.For example, if you had surgery, you may receive radiation therapy and chemotherapy. If you first had radiation therapy, then you may need surgery and/or chemotherapy. In treating recurrent cancer, a more extensive operation, such as an APR, may be needed. Again, clinical trials may prove to be valuable for people with recurrent anal cancer. ...read more at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/analcancer.html






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Posted by Colon Cancer at 9:23 AM