Treatment for colorectal cancer depends on the stage of the cancer when it is diagnosed and may include:-

Surgery

Surgery is the most common form of treatment for localised colorectal cancer and can be curative. Minimally invasive surgery (Laparoscopic surgery) is being developed rapidly in Europe.

Radiotherapy

Depending on the size of the cancer, radiotherapy may be used before surgery to shrink the tumour and make it easier to remove or after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells. This treatment is only used in rectal cancer.

Chemotherapy destroys cancer cells by interfering with their ability to divide and reproduce. In some cases surgery alone will be enough to prevent colorectal cancer from returning but sometimes further treatment is required in the form of chemotherapy.

These are laboratory-produced substances that recognise and bind onto a specific site on a cancer cell. The monoclonal antibody can then kill the cancer cells and/or recruit the body's immune system to attack the target.

Biotechnology is providing doctors with more tools which are helping to move from the treatment of diseases to prevention and cure. A whole new range of tools are being developed to support the human body to utilize its own capacities to fight infectious or cancerous diseases as well as injuries.