Treatment of local colon cancer

Local colon cancer refers to cancer confined to the colon or the mesenteric lymph nodes near the colon. We treat localized colon cancer primarily with surgery, but sometimes we start treatment with chemotherapy. Colon cancer surgery is performed at Jorvi Hospital.

Surgical treatment of local colon cancer

Preparing for the colon cancer surgery begins at home according to the instructions you have received. You will arrive at Jorvi Hospital on the morning of the operation. At the hospital, you will meet with the physician, and we will prepare you for the operation. The operating room staff will bring you to the operating room.

We perform the operation under general anesthesia, either as open surgery or keyhole surgery. In the operation, we will remove the portion of the colon where the tumor is located, including the mesentery and the lymph nodes. In a colon cancer operation, an intestinal stoma is generally not required.

Postoperative monitoring starts in the recovery room. You should be mobile as soon as possible to speed up your recovery. You may be able to sit up or stand up in the recovery room and have something to drink. If you feel well enough, you will be transferred to the ward to recover. You will be assisted in recovery by the nurses on the ward and a physiotherapist if necessary.

Recovery from colon cancer surgery

The outpatient clinic nurse will come to see you on the ward before you are discharged and will also call you a week after discharge. You can be discharged if you are getting enough nutrition, your bowel movements have become normal, you are able to urinate, and your pain management is sufficient using pain medication taken by mouth. After the operation, we will guide you to continue administering the blood thinning medication at home by injection into the tissue.

The physician will report the findings on the quality of the removed tumor to you by phone within about two weeks of your discharge. You will have a follow-up appointment at the Surgery Outpatient Clinic about a month after your operation.

If necessary, your further treatment will be provided at the Comprehensive Cancer Center, depending on the quality of the tumor and the staging investigations performed.

Adjuvant therapies for local colon cancer

We carry out examinations on the tumor and lymph nodes removed during surgery, which indicate the risk of cancer recurrence. If the risk of recurrence is high, we recommend adjuvant chemotherapy for you.

We administer adjuvant therapy, usually carried out in three-week cycles with a medicine to be taken at home as tablets. In some situations, this is also accompanied by intravenous medication. Treatment usually lasts 3–6 months. The goal of treatment is to kill any cancer cells that may remain despite surgery and thus increase the likelihood of recovery.