Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy (also called chemo) uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing.

Systemic chemotherapy is when chemotherapy drugs are taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle. When given this way, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body. Systemic chemotherapy used to treat colon cancer includes:

Combinations of these drugs may be used. Other chemotherapy drugs not listed here may also be used.

Chemotherapy may also be combined with other kinds of drugs. For example, it might be combined with the targeted therapy drug bevacizumab, cetuximab, or panitumumab.

Regional chemotherapy for colon cancer is when drugs are placed directly into the hepatic artery (the main artery that supplies blood to the liver) in a procedure called chemoembolization. Chemoembolization of the hepatic artery may be used to treat cancer that has spread to the liver. This is done by blocking the hepatic artery and injecting anticancer drugs between the blockage and the liver. The liver’s arteries then carry the drugs into the liver. Only a small amount of the drug reaches other parts of the body. The blockage may be temporary or permanent, depending on what is used to block the artery. The liver continues to receive some blood from the hepatic portal vein, which carries blood from the stomach and intestine.

The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.

Learn more about how chemotherapy works, how it is given, common side effects, and more at Chemotherapy to Treat Cancer and Chemotherapy and You: Support for People With Cancer.