What are the survivar rates for stage 4 colon cancer?
My grandma just found out she has stage 4 colon cancer. Have you or anyone you know had stage 4 colon cancer and know the survival rates?
Other than the cancer she is failry healthy.
Thanks!
1 5 year survival is not 50%, closer to 10% or less. Average survival is about 2 years, meaning half live longer. This assumes patients go through the usual drugs of 5FU, oxaliplatin, irinotecan, avastin, and erbitux. While the treatment can be tough, others tolerate amazingly well and preserve a very good quality of life. Treatments are definitely worth trying at least. I have many older patients with metastatic colorectal cancer- they frequently do very well with treatment.
Blessings
2 I'm so sorry to hear this. With each stage of cancer your long term survival rates drop. At stage 4 the cancer is at high risk for spreading to other areas of the body including lympoh nodes which can really complicate things.
this is going to suck but according to the information I read stage 4 has a 8-15% survival rate at 5 years.
3 At stage 4 the cancer has already spread past the colon. This is bad news and the survival rate is low but not impossible to survive.
I had stage 2 colon cancer.
What is the difference in the stages of colon cancer?
my boyfriend has 4th stage colon cancer. They removed some of the colon. they now say both lobes of his liver have cancer spots and they are concerned about a spot on his lung.
1 As colon cancer progresses from Stage 0 to Stage IV, the cancer cells grow through the layers of the colon wall and spread to lymph nodes and other organs.
Stage 0 (Carcinoma in Situ)
In stage 0, abnormal cells are found in the innermost lining of the colon. These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread into nearby normal tissue. Stage 0 is also called carcinoma in situ.
Stage I
In stage I, cancer has formed and spread beyond the innermost tissue layer of the colon wall to the middle layers. Stage I colon cancer is sometimes called Dukes A colon cancer.
Stage II
Stage II colon cancer is divided into stage IIA and stage IIB.
Stage IIA: Cancer has spread beyond the middle tissue layers of the colon wall or has spread to nearby tissues around the colon or rectum.
Stage IIB: Cancer has spread beyond the colon wall into nearby organs and/or through the peritoneum.
Stage II colon cancer is sometimes called Dukes B colon cancer.
Stage III
Stage III colon cancer is divided into stage IIIA, stage IIIB, and stage IIIC.
Stage IIIA: Cancer has spread from the innermost tissue layer of the colon wall to the middle layers and has spread to as many as 3 lymph nodes.
Stage IIIB: Cancer has spread to as many as 3 nearby lymph nodes and has spread:
beyond the middle tissue layers of the colon wall; or to nearby tissues around the colon or rectum; or
beyond the colon wall into nearby organs and/or through the peritoneum.
Stage IIIC: Cancer has spread to 4 or more nearby lymph nodes and has spread:
to or beyond the middle tissue layers of the colon wall; or to nearby tissues around the colon or rectum; or to nearby organs and/or through the peritoneum.
Stage III colon cancer is sometimes called Dukes C colon cancer.
Stage IV
In stage IV, cancer may have spread to nearby lymph nodes and has spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver or lungs. Stage IV colon cancer is sometimes called Dukes D colon cancer.
How long does it take to recuperate from colon cancer surgery?
How long does it take to recuperate from a surgery that is supposed to eliminate colon cancer?
1 My Mom survived colon cancer 2 years ago...it took her about 4 or 5 mos to get any spring in her step. She is now experiencing some bowel problems but will not have any thing confirmed...she says whatever will be will be......She today, at 81-1/2 looks fine, got back all her weight and her demeanor improved....but we will see P.S....She refused all treatment after her surgery
2 my dad had colon cancer about 8 years ago.he had a nurse come to the house for a couple of months after the hospital.i'd say it was a 4+ months before he felt better. we just found out a week ago that he now has stomach cancer 
my prayers go out to you!
3 Can you tell me a bit more, have you a stoma or an ileo rectal pouch?
Why have you had the surgery? or are you waiting to go in for it?
EDIT
anoldmick I have to disagree with you, both of my children had their large bowel removed when they were 18years old, they are now 29 and 31.
They still have problems.
A person may recover from the initial surgery quite quickly but that doesn't mean they are completely well for quite a long time.
4 it all depends. Generally it is about six weeks. However, if you have a colostomy that is going to be reveresed it can take twice as long as the new incision heals and then is cut again to reconnect. Alos, if people have had multiple abdominla incisions they can develop what is called scar tissue (adhisionls)which makes the bowel to sot of grt temporarily paralyzed. People to well with this in general. Be sure to check withou your state medical board and see who your sugreion is. See if they have had any mlapractive suits, etc. And trust your gut on this one.
How does Colon Cancer get to Stage 4 without any symptoms?
I have read many people write about how they or people they know have Stage 4 colon cancer and never had any symptoms. How is this possible? How could someone be completely healthy, have a perfect CBC,etc and yet have something that could potentially kill them in a short span?
1 Unfortunately, this is the case of many types of cancer. Some cancers can grow and develop without causing symptoms or only cause very vague symptoms. Often times this occurs in areas where there is a lot of room for the tumor to grow without initially affecting the function of the surrounding normal structures. For example, the colon, particularly the cecum, is very large. A tumor can grow to a large size there without causing any symptoms. It would have to get to a massive size to cause obstruction of the digestive tract or to affect other nearby organs. As it grows without symptoms, it can eventually metastasize (spread to distant organs by way of the blood stream and/or lymphatic system).
Stage 4 means that it has metastasized. A tumor does not need to be large to metastasize. Some types of cancer are more prone to spread than others. For example, melanoma (an aggressive form of skin cancer) metastasizes very readily and often people first present with symptoms from a distant metastasis and never even noticed the small primary tumor on the skin of their leg, back, or buttock.
A CBC just looks at blood cells and counts them (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, hematocrit). While some cancers can cause anemia many do not, and a lot of other things can cause anemia. Some cancers can cause changes in white blood cells (such as leukemia) but many do not. In other words, the CBC would not detect most types of cancer. A colonoscopy on the other hand would be able to demonstrate the colon tumor rather easily.
Are certain cases of colon cancer more aggressive than others?
My dad passed away from colon cancer in december of 2007 only after 9 months. but i read that the survival rates were higher than that. he had surgery,chemo and radiation. i was wondering if certain cases can be more aggressive and harder to treat than others?
1 98% of colon cancers above the anal verge are adenocarcinomas and although they do vary in aggressiveness it is not drastic. There are other rare types that are much more aggressive. Survival rates are dependent on stage. Stage 4 colon cancer has a 5-year survival rate of 5%. There are those that survive past 5 years and of the other 95% there are those who survive 1 week and others survive 4 years and 11 months. It is difficult to apply these rates to an individual without a good understanding of the disease process and even then it is just one piece of the puzzle.
2 Survival rates are high only if it is detected in the early stage.Early symptoms of the digestive disorders should not be neglected.
