Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is a form of cancer that affects the colon or rectum and can require surgery and/or conventional treatments, depending on the stage and progression. At Verita Life, we structure integrative cancer therapies around the patient and their diagnosis to develop a personalised programme tailored to the individual.

In a medically supervised environment, our team will work to shape supportive therapies around current treatment pathways, overall health status, and future goals.

Colorectal cancer can begin in the colon or rectum, often developing from abnormal growths in the polyps. These cancers can differ based on the stage, location, and biological behaviour, such as:

Early colorectal cancer often causes no symptoms, which is why screening matters. When symptoms appear they can include:

• Blood in the stool, bright red or very dark
• A change in bowel habits: diarrhoea, constipation, or a feeling that the bowel does not empty completely
• Stools that are narrower or a different shape than usual
• Abdominal discomfort such as gas pains, bloating, fullness, or cramps
• Weight loss for no known reason
• Fatigue, or anaemia found on a blood test
• Vomiting

These symptoms are often caused by conditions other than cancer, such as haemorrhoids or infection. A change that lasts more than a few weeks should be checked.

The stage describes how far the cancer has grown through the bowel wall, whether lymph nodes are involved, and whether it has spread to distant organs. It is worked out from scans and from the tissue removed at surgery.

Stage 0 is cancer in the innermost lining only. Stages I to III are cancers of increasing depth and lymph-node involvement that have not spread beyond the bowel and nearby nodes. Stage IV has spread to distant organs, most often the liver or lungs.

Tumour tests such as microsatellite instability (MSI) and RAS or BRAF mutations help decide which medicines will work.

Colorectal cancer treatment depends on where the cancer is, the stage, the tumour’s biomarkers, and your overall health. An oncology team plans it, usually combining several of the treatments below. Verita Life does not replace this care. Our therapies are designed to support it.

Surgery

Removal of the section of bowel containing the cancer together with nearby lymph nodes. Very small early cancers can sometimes be removed during a colonoscopy. A colostomy is needed only when the bowel cannot be rejoined.

Chemotherapy

Medicines that kill fast-growing cells, given after surgery to lower the risk of the cancer returning, or as the main treatment for cancer that has spread.

Radiation therapy

High-energy beams used mainly for rectal cancer, often with chemotherapy before surgery to shrink the tumour.

Targeted therapy

Medicines that block specific proteins driving the cancer, chosen according to the tumour’s biomarkers and used mostly for advanced disease.

Immunotherapy

Medicines that help the immune system attack the cancer, effective for the minority of colorectal cancers with high microsatellite instability.

Ablation and other local treatments

Heat, cold, or focused radiation used to destroy small deposits, most often in the liver, when surgery is not possible.

Verita Life’s approach to colorectal cancer support

Colorectal cancer is a blanket term for any colon or rectal cancer and it presents differently in every patient. While some cases are detected early and remain contained to the bowel or colon, advanced stages can spread to the surrounding tissues or organs. We will build your personal care programme around you, the stage of your cancer, and the diagnosis you have received.

When you choose Verita Life, our supportive care is structured around:

Why choose Verita Life for colorectal cancer support?

• Structured programmes that grow with you: Our team will only start alternative colorectal therapies once your case is evaluated and we will continue to evaluate your case and alter your treatment on an ongoing basis.
• Therapies that complement your current treatment: We will only deliver care that complements your current or previous treatment.
• Focus on stability and monitoring: We provide a comfortable setting where your progress can be monitored.
• Attention to healthier practices in recovery: Our on-site chefs and expert nutritionists will create three fresh and organic meals a day for you, tailored to your exact dietary needs and treatment plan.

Treatment for colorectal cancer care at Verita Life

Verita Life’s integrative colorectal cancer treatments incorporate medically-backed traditional therapies with holistic therapies designed to complement conventional care. Our colorectal cancer treatments include:

Metronomic Therapy

Metronomic chemotherapy is an approach to cancer treatment in which chemotherapy is given at a lower dose, but more frequently and with shorter or no extended breaks between treatments.

Metabolic Treatment

Metabolic approaches investigate how cancer cells obtain and use energy and nutrients. Cancer cells behave very differently to healthy cells, often heavily relying on glucose and alter their metabolic pathways in order to grow more rapidly than healthy cells. This is a broad area of research, not a single established treatment or diet and at Verita Life we use metabolic approaches within our wider, personalised treatment plans.

Local Body Hyperthermia

Local body hyperthermia is a type of integrative therapy designed to work alongside both integrative oncology care and conventional cancer treatments. Local body hyperthermia is a targeted heat-based therapy that delivers controlled heat to specific areas of the body.

IPT & Low-Dose Chemotherapy

Insulin potentiation therapy, or IPT, uses insulin alongside lower doses of chemotherapy as part of an integrative cancer treatment approach.

Herbal Cancer Therapy

Following years of research, our medical team have developed specific herbal treatment protocols to address varying types of tumours. We use proven compounds that stem from all natural herbal ingredients such as curcumin, quercetin and other anti-cancer therapies.

Biological Treatment

Biological treatments are supportive regimens that can sometimes fall under immunotherapy due to their nature, and work by harnessing the body's natural immune system or targeting precise molecular pathways involved in cancer growth.

Natural Killer Cell Therapy

Natural Killer (NK) cells are a type of lymphocyte, or white blood cell, that play a major role in the immune system by targeting and killing infected cells and cancer cells.