Colon Cancer diagnosis and chemo- question

[thyroida]

My dad has been diagnosed with Colon Cancer.  My parents won't tell me what stage it is, but I do know it is a large growth and he is being treated with Chemotherapy only (no surgery).  I believe the cancer has spread.

Will the Chemotherapy alone (without surgery) kill the cancer- and how long does it usually take?  How bad are the side effects of this treatment?  Can he live a long time/full life after this treatment?  

There are many chemo options and he is trying to decide on which one to go with.   He doesn't want to take one that will make him loose his hair or cause him to loose weight/feel bad.   If anyone has any information or recommendations on different types of chemo that would be helpful.

Thank you.

[mammo]

Not all chemo causes hair loss.  The type of chemo to  be used should be determined by where the cancer started.  For example if it started in his colon and spread someplace else, this is still considered colon cancer. There are chemo drugs specifically for colon cancer and he should go with those. Everyone is different when it comes to side effects and we don't know until we try it.  I hope your dad beats this!!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Unfortunately hair loss is one of the side effects of chemotherapy. Treatment of colon cancer depends on the stage of cancer. Treatments may include:
• Surgery (most often a colectomy) to remove cancer cells
• Chemotherapy to kill cancer cells
• Radiation therapy to destroy cancerous tissue
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.