Colon cancer is a fast-progressing disease that afflicts the body rapidly. Left undetected, colon cancer has the potential to thoroughly spread throughout the body and affect the other organs including the kidney, lungs and sometimes the bones. However, colon cancer in its early stages is very curable. In its latter stages, it is incurable and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths following lung cancer.
Survival rates for colon cancer patients are determined by analyzing how long patients survive the disease after their initial diagnosis. The five-year survival rate is the percentage of people who are alive after that time.
There are five stages in colon cancer that the body progresses through. Each stage lasts for an undetermined time period, affected by several factors including age, lifestyle and the overall condition of the body.
Stage 0
This is the beginning stage of colorectal cancer. It is found inside the lining of the colon and manifests in polyps. Polyps are tissue bulging from the surface of an organ. Polyps are removed from the colon’s lining during a colonoscopy, thereby eliminating their chances of recurrence once they’re removed.
Stage I
In Stage I of colon cancer, the polyps have advanced to a tumor and extends into the walls of the colon. To remove the cancerous portion of the cancer, surgery is performed. This surgical procedure is called resectioning and the non-cancerous, healthy sections are reconnected. The survival rate is 95 percent.
Stage II
When the colon cancer has spread beyond the colon and affects the tissue that surrounds the colon it has entered into Stage II. In this stage, the cancer has not gotten into the lymph nodes, and resection surgery may also be performed to treat this stage of cancer. When the cancer spreads from one body part to another it is said to be metastasizing. The five year survival rate for this type of cancer is 60 percent.
Stage III
In Stage III, the colon cancer has spread outside of the colon and into the lymph nodes. In this stage, treatment is more aggressive, but has not spread to other body organs. Again, the surgical procedure of resectioning may be necessary and carries a five-year survival rate of 35 to 60 percent.
Stage IV
In Stage IV of colon cancer, the disease has now spread to the other body organs including the lungs or the liver. Surgical resectioning and chemotherapy are the treatment options here, but radiation treatments may be introduced to remove other affected cancerous places in the body. In Stage IV, the five year survival rate is only 3 percent.
Recurrent cancer comes back after treatments have been administered to the body and can appear again in the colon or other parts. It is vital to have regular physician check ups to catch any recurring cancerous activity.
To best handle the possibility and effects of colon cancer one should consult with a doctor frequently, apprising him of your physical condition. Options are available but become limited after certain periods of time so it is best to seek available help early and be aggressive in your treatment plan.
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