Treatment:

Treatment depends partly on the stage of the cancer. This means how far the tumor has spread through the layers of the intestine, from the innermost lining to outside the intestinal wall and beyond:

• Stage 0: Very early cancer on the innermost layer (more accurately considered a precursor to cancer)

• Stage I: Tumor in the inner layers of the colon

• Stage II: Tumor has spread through the muscle wall of the colon

• Stage III: Tumor that has spread to the lymph nodes

• Stage IV: Tumor that has spread to distant organs

Stage 0 colon cancer may be treated by cutting out the lesion, often via a colonoscopy. For stages I, II, and III cancer, more extensive surgery to remove a segment of colon containing the tumor and reattachment of the colon is necessary. (See colon resection.) This procedure only rarely requires a colostomy.

Almost all patients with stage III colon cancer, after surgery, should receive chemotherapy (adjuvant chemotherapy) with a drug known as 5-fluorouracil given for approximately 6 - 8 months. This drug has been shown to increase the chance of a cure. There is some debate as to whether patients with stage II colon cancer should receive chemotherapy after surgery, and patients should discuss this with their oncologist.

Chemotherapy is also used for patients with stage IV disease in order to shrink the tumor, lengthen life, and improve the patient's quality of life. Irinotecan, oxaloplatin, and 5-fluorouracil are the 3 most commonly used drugs, given either individually or in combination. There are oral chemotherapy drugs which are similar to 5-fluroruracil, the most commonly used being capecitabine (Xeloda).

4. Brain tumor

A metastatic brain tumor is a mass of cancerous cells in the brain that have spread from another part of the body. The term "metastatic" means it has spread. The original source of the cancer is called the primary tumor. Cells from the primary tumor have traveled in the bloodstream (metastasized) and lodged in the brain.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Many tumor or cancer types can spread to the brain, the most common being lung cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, certain sarcomas, testicular and germ cell tumors, and a number of others. Some types of cancers only spread to the brain infrequently, such as colon cancer, or very rarely, such as prostate cancer. Brain tumors can directly destroy brain cells, or they may indirectly damage cells by producing inflammation, compressing other parts of the brain as the tumor grows, inducing brain swelling, and causing increased pressure within the skull.

Metastatic brain tumors are classified depending on the exact site of the tumor within the brain, type of tissue involved, original location of the tumor, and other factors. Infrequently, a tumor can spread to the brain, yet the original site or location of the tumor is unknown. This is called cancer of unknown primary (CUP) origin.

Metastatic brain tumors occur in about one-fourth of all cancers that metastasize (spread through the body). They are much more common than primary brain tumors. They occur in approximately 10-30% of adult cancers.