Colon cancer is one of the tumors with the highest incidence worldwide, representing 10% of all cancer cases.
The extensive experience of our team of surgical oncologists in minimally invasive surgery and colorectal cancer surgery makes IVOQA the reference center for the surgery and treatment of colon and rectal cancer.
Each case is reviewed in the Tumor Committee to make the best therapeutic decision, including the discussion of new treatments or experimental therapies.
In the early stages of colon cancer, treatment consists of surgery. A laparoscopic or robotic resection of the affected area of the colon is performed and an anastomosis (joining of the ends of the bowel so that the patient can have a normal bowel movement) is performed. It is necessary to remove all the lymph nodes in the area to check for metastasis.
Endoscopic resection applied to colon cancer is a technique used to remove adenomatous polyps or malignant tumors at an early stage. When colon cancer is detected at an early stage and located in the innermost layer of the colon (mucosa), endoscopic resection can be an effective and less invasive option than conventional surgery.
This minimally invasive technique allows tumors to be removed through small incisions, offering benefits such as faster recovery and less postoperative pain. Laparoscopic resections of the right and left colon, complete removal of the colon, rectal resections and even the entire colon and rectum can be performed laparoscopically.
Colorectal surgeries may require the creation of temporary stomas to protect the sutures in the intestine. Occasionally patients may need to be fitted with a permanent stoma.
Following ESMO guidelines, structured physical exercise is now a recommended therapeutic intervention for patients in stages II and III after surgery and during chemotherapy. Supervised implementation has been shown to reduce the risk of recurrence, improve survival rates, and decrease cancer-related fatigue. You can learn more about our specific program here: Onced-related physical training.
In more advanced stages (T3, T4 or with lymph node involvement), complementary treatment with intravenous chemotherapy is required. In the case of rectal cancer, the strategy may begin with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Administered after surgery to eliminate any residual cancer cells, reducing the risk of recurrence.
Uses high-energy rays to destroy remaining cancer cells and may be used before or after surgery to shrink the tumor and reduce the risk of recurrence.
Following ESMO guidelines, structured physical exercise is now a recommended therapeutic intervention for patients in stages II and III after surgery and during chemotherapy. Supervised implementation has been shown to reduce the risk of recurrence, improve survival rates, and decrease cancer-related fatigue. You can learn more about our specific program here: Onced-related physical training.
When colon cancer is metastatic, the approach is multidisciplinary and includes intravenous chemotherapy.
Liver metastases can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiofrequency, percutaneous ablation and chemoembolization. Lung metastases are usually treated with intravenous chemotherapy, surgery or SBRT (stereotactic body radiation therapy) Peritoneal metastases are treated with cytoreduction surgery and HIPEC (hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy) in patients with a Peritoneal Carcinomatosis Index (PCI) of less than 16 and good general condition. In more advanced cases, intraperitoneal chemotherapy such as PIPAC (Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy) or ePIPAC (Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy with Electrostatic Precipitation) can be used.
For advanced cancers that have spread to other organs, such as the liver, chemotherapy can be used to help shrink tumors and relieve the problems they are causing.
Treatments that specifically target cancer cells, interfering with specific molecules involved in the growth and spread of cancer.
Recently, some immunotherapies have shown promise in the treatment of advanced colon cancer. However, some novel treatments are only effective for 15% of patients with microsatellite instability.
The aim of palliative care is to alleviate the symptoms of the disease and to treat, as best as possible, the side effects of treatments so that patients can live with quality of life.
Patients with complete response after neoadjuvant treatment: the watch and wait strategy after induction neoadjuvant treatment requires a multidisciplinary team and close follow-up. By following this protocol surgery can be avoided.
The approach to colon cancer requires a multidisciplinary team to evaluate the most appropriate treatment options and to perform regular check-ups for early detection of the tumor, thus improving the chances of successful treatment.
Our patients with colon or rectal cancer benefit from our prehabilitation programmeand the advantages of the ERAS® protocols for optimal recovery.
The extensive experience of our team of surgical oncologists in minimally invasive surgery and colon cancer surgery makes IVOQA the leading facility for colon and rectal cancer surgery and treatment.
Our experts also continually seek to improve colon cancer care through meetings of the tumours committee that review colon cancer cases to make multidisciplinary clinical management decisions, including the discussion of new treatments or experimental therapies.
