About chemotherapy for bowel cancer
This page tells you about chemotherapy for bowel cancer (colorectal cancer). There is information on
About chemotherapy for bowel cancer
Chemotherapy uses anti-cancer or 'cytotoxic' drugs to destroy cancer cells. They work by disrupting the growth of cancer cells. As they circulate in the blood, they can reach cancer cells wherever they are in your body and kill them.
You may have chemotherapy before surgery for rectal cancer. The chemotherapy aims to shrink the cancer and make it easier to remove during surgery.
You may have chemotherapy after surgery for colon or rectal cancer. This is to reduce the chance of the cancer coming back and is called adjuvant chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy is also given as a treatment for bowel cancer that has spread.
Chemotherapy uses anti-cancer or 'cytotoxic' drugs to destroy cancer cells. They work by disrupting the growth of cancer cells. As they circulate in the blood, they can reach cancer cells wherever they are in your body and kill them.
The chemotherapy drugs commonly used to treat cancer of the large bowel include
- Fluorouracil (also called 5FU) - often given with a vitamin called folinic acid
- Capecitabine
- Uftoral (also called tegafur with uracil)
- Irinotecan (Campto)
- Oxaliplatin
The links above take you to information about the individal drugs and their side effects.
You may have chemotherapy before surgery for rectal cancer. The chemotherapy aims to shrink the cancer and make it easier to remove during surgery. Chemotherapy given in this way is called neo-adjuvant chemotherapy.
You may have chemotherapy after surgery for colon or rectal cancer. This is to reduce the chance of the cancer coming back and is called adjuvant chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy is also given as a treatment for bowel cancer that has spread.
Doctors are concerned about patients taking dietary supplements and herbal medicines when they have chemotherapy. Doctors often don't know what their patients are buying over the counter or getting from alternative or complementary therapy practitioners. We don't yet know much scientifically about how some supplements may interact with chemotherapy
Talk to your specialist about any other tablets or medicines you take while you are on active treatment. It may not be a good idea to take anything that claims to boost your immune system, for instance. We just don't know how supplements may interact with treatment for other types of cancer as yet. There is information about the safety of herbal, vitamin and diet supplements in the complementary therapies section of CancerHelp UK.
For more about having chemotherapy injections look at the main chemotherapy section in CancerHelp UK. It explains the treatment in more detail including
- What chemotherapy involves
- How chemo is planned
- How you have the treatment
- General chemo side effects
- Side effects of specific drugs
- Living with chemotherapy
Our general cancer organisations page has details of information services you can contact for more information about cancer and treatment. There are also books and booklets available, some of which are free.
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