Colon and Rectal Cancer : What factors determine if chemotherapy is needed after surgery for early stage colorectal cancer?

What factors determine if chemotherapy is needed after surgery for early stage colorectal cancer?

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Colon and Rectal Cancer

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Colon and Rectal Cancer

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Expert Answers

ZevWainbergMD (Physician - Oncology - Hematology/Oncology (Verified) ) - 06 / 25 / 2012

There are many factors on the pathology report that determine if a person should receive chemo after early stage (stage 2) colon cancer. We identify any high-risk features that may be present which include a perforation, obstruction, T4 stage (meaning the tumor involves other organs near the colon) or if there was less than 12 lymph nodes sampled. There are also some features that are very low risk ie microsatellite instability (MSI) and they often do not get therapy. In the end, this is a decision that needs to be made between the patients and treating physician as it is a personal choice which has no right or wrong answer. It is a complicated topic that requires a careful and thoughtful discussion about the pros and cons of each option.

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