Treatment
Treatment for appendix cancer depends on the type of appendix cancer, its location in the appendix, the stage of the cancer, and the patient's overall health. The doctor may recommend any of the following procedures to treat appendix cancer:
Surgery
Surgery is the most common treatment for appendix cancer. Appendix cancer can often be completely removed with surgery if detected at an early stage. The doctor may recommend any of the following procedures:
Additional Treatments
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses cancer-killing drugs that travel through the bloodstream and destroy any cancer cells they encounter. The doctor may recommend intravenous chemotherapy to shrink the tumor before surgery, or to kill any cancer cells remaining after surgery or in the setting where surgery is not recommended. Doctors also may sometimes use heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for adenocarcinoma of the appendix, following cytoreductive surgery. In this procedure, the abdominal cavity is filled with a heated chemotherapy drug in order to kill microscopic tumors. It will only be offered to patients with no tumors outside of the peritoneum
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials allow patients to try a new treatment before it is available to the general public. In some cases, this may be a new drug that has not been used in humans before, or it may be a drug or drug combination that is not currently used for that specific type of cancer. Early phase clinical trials are often used to test side effects of a drug or drug combination, while later phase clinical trials are used to see how effective a new treatment might be for a certain type of cancer. Clinical trials allow doctors and researchers to improve the treatment of cancers with possibly more effective therapies. A clinical trial may be a new, groundbreaking drug or it may have no effect. It is important to talk with your doctor about the pros and cons of clinical trials for your particular situation.
Palliative Treatments
Doctors also use palliative or supportive treatments to relieve symptoms caused by the cancer, particularly in its advanced stages. Supportive procedures for appendix cancer include inserting a tube into the abdominal cavity to relieve obstruction, diversion of the colon to relieve a gastrointestinal blockage, and medication to manage pain and nausea.
