The following describes medical treatments for colorectal cancer. For specific information regarding your health and care care options, please contact your Hurley physician or medical professional.

Chemotherapy might an option for you

For many patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer, treatment may include a range of medical oncology services, including chemotherapy. The oncology physicians, nurse practitioners and nurses of Hurley Medical Center will consult with you and your family to determine the most appropriate surgical options for your individual situation. In addition to delivering the recommended treatment, they will provide you with information on the treatment methods under consideration and pre- and post-procedure care.

If surgical treatment options are recommended, you may be given a course of preoperative (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy, aimed at reducing the size of the tumor prior to the surgical procedure. Following surgery, and in patients considered at high risk for a recurrence of cancer, adjuvant systemic chemotherapy and other targeted therapies may be employed to reduce the possible return of the cancer.

For some patients, cancer cells may have spread to other parts of the body (metastasized). In such cases, your oncologist may recommend additional chemotherapy as well as metastatic disease therapies, including medications that attack the part of the cancer cells that make them unique and distinct from other, normal cells.