In theory, every colon cancer patient can suffer a surgical intervention. If the cancer is in an early stage, the surgery is performed with the purpose to cure the disease. If the cancer has spread, but only to nearby tissues, the primary tumor must be abscised and the secondary tumors in the area must be removed as complexly as possible. If the cancer has spread and created metastases, than surgery can be performed only after the cancer has been neutralized and its growth stopped. In these cases, colon cancer treatment has firstly a palliative purpose, and only then a curative one.

The most important factor in choosing colon cancer treatment and medical intervention is the location of the tumor, which can be formed on the right or left side of the colon. Through surgery the colon be sectioned and the affected part removed, while the healthy ones are putted together. Through surgery the tumors can be removed completely and so other medicines are needed. However, when the cancer grows, with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy can be administrated. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are non chirurgical interventions. Chemotherapy is, according to doctors, efficient in 80 percent of the cases, but the failures are caused by the cancer metastases and the patient reaction to treatment.

Radiation therapy is an important component in the treatment of colon cancer. The rectum position in the small basin comes into contact with the mucous membranes of neighboring organs. Radiation has the effect of regression of tumor, characterized by decreasing tumor size and number of lymph dissemination, increasing the chances of radical surgery. The local radiation used in most cases is made external or internal. It can have more than one form.

The adjuvant radiation therapy is administrated in addition to surgery in patients in stages two and three and the main objective of this intervention is increasing the duration of patient survival and decrease the risk of local recurrence. Isolated radiation therapy causes significant reduction in local recurrences, with an advantage that it can have long term effects. Maximum result is obtained in patients with tumor that has invaded neighboring tissues. Isolated radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy can increase the chances of cure of one patient. Palliative radiotherapy is administrated in local recurrences, inoperable tumor and lymph nodes or visceral metastasis. However, the effects of this therapy are reduced and only in a relatively small number of cases the cancer allows surgical excision. Radiation therapy in early colon cancer is performed in a few cases and requires a very high level of care form both patient and doctor. This method can be used only for tumors that are less than 3 cm in size, well differentiated, fully mobile and without lateral node invasion.