Colorectal Cancer is when the bowel (or colon) develops a tumor. This can quickly cause problems with digestion and lead to severe constipation/diarrhea, pain, fatigue, and iron deficiency, to name a few. And although some are benign (non-cancerous), it can just as easily be a malicious (cancerous) tumor. Either way, it is always sensible to get something like this checked. If you are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, treatments do exist. For example, you could consider the metastatic colorectal cancer treatment.
Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Treatment
When used in conjunction with radiation therapy, treatments like can help treat some of these tumors. Metastatic colorectal cancer can be treated using as the drug is even approved for patients where the cancerous tissue has spread. However, only patients who have KRAS wild-type and an EGFR protein type in the tumor should receive . FDA-approved tests can tell you if your tumor has these traits, but essentially KRAS wild-type simply means they have a KRAS mutation-negative gene, and EGFR—epidermal growth factor receptor—which is a protein on the surface of some cells that causes cells to divide naturally. EGFR is often found in very high levels on cancerous cells as it is directly related to the excessive growth of tumors.
This treatment can be administered in three main ways:
i) Administered alongside FOLFIRI (which is: irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin). This method is normally used for people receiving cancer treatment of this type for the first time.
ii) Administered alongside a different type of chemotherapy drug known as irinotecan, when the cancer has progressed despite receiving irinotecan on its own.
iii) Administered on its own, for patients who have tried both irinotecan and oxaliplatin, and the disease has still progressed regardless. Alternatively, it can also be administered on its own for those patients who are unable to tolerate the chemotherapy drug irinotecan.
Importantly, is not suitable for treating patients whose tumors contain mutations known as RAS or when the mutational status is not yet known.
For safe use of metastatic colorectal cancer treatment, you should provide your doctor with the following information beforehand:
• Do you have any history of heart disease, or any other condition relating to the heart?
• Do you have a history of breathing problems or lung issues, such as asthma?
• Are you pregnant, or do you intend to become pregnant? Importantly, you should always use contraception and avoid pregnancy during your treatment, as this drug can harm unborn babies. You should maintain these precautions for at least 2 months after your last dose.
• Do you breastfeed, or intend to breastfeed in the near future? This drug can easily be passed through human breast milk, which can cause extremely serious side effects on nursing children. You should not breastfeed during your treatment, and for at least 2 months after your last dose.
Featured Image: depositphotos/prudkov
Posted on May 5, 2023