Stage 0 (Carcinoma in Situ)
Stage I Colon Cancer
Stage II Colon Cancer
Stage III Colon Cancer
Stage IV and Recurrent Colon Cancer

A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.

Treatment of stage 0 (carcinoma in situ) may include the following types of surgery:

• Local excision or simple polypectomy.
• Resection /anastomosis. This is done when the tumor is too large to remove by local excision.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with stage 0 colon cancer.

Treatment of stage I colon cancer is usually resection /anastomosis.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with stage I colon cancer.

Treatment of stage II colon cancer may include the following:

• Resection /anastomosis.
• Clinical trials of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or biologic therapy after surgery.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with stage II colon cancer.

Treatment of stage III colon cancer may include the following:

• Resection /anastomosis with chemotherapy.
• Clinical trials of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or biologic therapy after surgery.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with stage III colon cancer.

Treatment of stage IV and recurrent colon cancer may include the following:

• Resection /anastomosis (surgery to remove the cancer or bypass the tumor and join the cut ends of the colon).
• Surgery to remove parts of other organs, such as the liver, lungs, and ovaries, where the cancer may have recurred or spread.
• Radiation therapy or chemotherapy may be offered to some patients as palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
• Clinical trials of chemotherapy and/or biologic therapy.

Treatment of locally recurrent colon cancer may be local excision.

Special treatments of cancer that has spread to or recurred in the liver may include the following:

• Chemotherapy followed by resection.
• Radiofrequency ablation or cryosurgery.
• Clinical trials of hepatic chemoembolization with radiation therapy.

Patients whose colon cancer spreads or recurs after initial treatment with chemotherapy may be offered further chemotherapy with a different drug or combination of drugs.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with stage IV colon cancer and recurrent colon cancer.

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