Survival Rates Of Colon Cancer

Published on Apr 16 2010, in the categories: Survival Statistics

Colon cancer is not an easy to treat disease when it is diagnosed in one of the last stages. This is the main reason way doctors recommend screenings for those individuals that are at a great risk in developing this disease because of the risk factors they were subjected at.

The survival rates of colon cancer confirm this hypothesis. If in the first two stages, colon cancer survival rates are not that bad, because 85 to 95 percent of all those diagnosed with these stages survive the disease, we can not say the same thing about colon cancer stage three and mostly colon cancer stage four. In stage four the survival rates of colon cancer are not higher than 10 percent. This happens because in this stage the cancer spreads to other organs and a simple surgical intervention can not treat the cancer.<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->So, in 2009 the survival rates presented by the National Cancer Institute showed that the survival rates are at 93 percent in stage 1 and 85 percent is stage 2A. In stage three patients have also chemotherapy and surgical interventions. In this stage, the cancer starts spreading and this is the main cause way the survival rates of colon cancer becomes lower. Of course the worst prognoses are made in the last stage of colon cancer. Less than 10 percent of all those diagnosed with this last stage can treat it. This means that about 90 percent of the people that had developed colon cancer stage 4 died because of it. This happens because in this last stage, colon cancer is not an easy to treat disease because of the spread of the cancerous tumors to other parts of the body, that are not in the immediate close of the colon or colon wall. The secondary tumors grow also, and treatment must regard both the primary and the metastatic colon cancer. Treatment often regards in this phase chemotherapy administration.

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In comparison with the last years, colon cancer survival rates have grown, but the number of diagnosis every year are still at a very high level. This can happen because the level of informing has also grown, but the same happened with the risk factors. Pollution is one of the colon cancer risk factors that are not very much taken into account. However, the degree of pollution, especially in some areas can increase the number of colon cancer developments. So, on one side we can say the people have understood what colon cancer means and they also acknowledged that screenings and early detection are important, but on the other side, the risk factors that can not be controlled by individuals have also increased and they influence will be more evident every year.

Survival Rates Colon Cancer

Published on Apr 15 2010, in the categories: Survival Statistics

When a type of cancer is developed the patient wants to know as many things as possible about the disease. This happens also when being diagnosed with colon cancer. The first thing people want o know is how much they are going to live. But no one can say precisely this thing. Doctors can make prognosis about the period of time someone may live based on what happened in similar cases, but they can not say for sure if that is going to be so in a particular case or not.

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The survival rates for colon cancer are important to know what happened in most cases similar to yours. They are established usually by stage and the chances of cure are higher if the disease is in the first two stages. The survival rates decrease dramatically and in stage four they can be lower than 10 percent. All colon cancer survival rates are generalizations and this means that every individual survival chances are different.

The exact location of the tumor is a very important factor in establishing the chances of cure. It is considered that the most easily to treat metastases are the ones created t the liver. According to the survival rates colon cancer can be cured in almost 64 percent of the cases diagnosed in all stages. However, this means that for about 36 percent the disease is fatal. This statistics are established according to the five-year survival rates, which represent the percentage of patients alive five years after their initial diagnosis.

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The survival rates of colon cancer are different in different countries. For example in the United States the five-year survival is established at 62 percent, while in Europe at only 43 percent. This situation can be explained through the quality of care, the differences between the medical systems and the free colon cancer screening programs. On other side, in Australia the survival rates are in stage 1 at 93 percent, while in stage three they drop to 59 percent.

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So, if early discovered colon cancer can be easy to treat. However, the best way to deal with and treat colon cancer is actually to prevent it. Colon cancer prevention can not start too early. Knowing the risk factors is crucial in this purpose. However, preventing colon cancer does not mean that you can never get ill. It just means that the chances of getting the disease can be made very low. To increase your chances of cure and survival you have to detect the cancer very early. This thing can be made through screening tests at the time periods recommended by doctors and a high attention at very little detail that may indicate you that something could be wrong.

Surviving Colon Cancer

Published on Apr 14 2010, in the categories: Survival Statistics

Colon cancer is not a disease difficult to treat, but only if the diagnosis is made in the earliest stages. However, when the diagnosis is made in the last stages, colon cancer can bring the patient death. This happens because in stage four the tumors spread in the individual’s body and affects other organs such as the liver or lungs.

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Being diagnosed with colon cancer, regardless of the stage can be very difficult to handle. When you know that you have a disease which can evolve if you do not treat her and when the fact that you are ill stats controlling your life things can get really bad. If you do not understand how cancer grows and how treatment works, the chances of cure are a little bit lower because you already lost the fight in your mind. However, the general survival rates for colon cancer are at about 64 percent. Of course they are higher in the first stages and lower in the last ones, but the cancer is not impossible to cure even if it has created metastases. So many people survive colon cancer.

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Surviving colon cancer can be one of the most important battles of your life. Colon cancer is one of the diseases that change your way of life. It changes they way you think about your future, it changes the way you work and they way you imagine your whole life. Being able to separate yourself from the disease is very important in surviving, because although many people do not believe this, the mental health is one of the most important factors in colon cancer cure, actually in any type of cancer or diseases cure.

But what does surviving colon cancer means? To survive colon cancer can have many different meanings, but the most common one can be curing the disease. However, there is not an actually cure for colon cancer. The cure can mean a surgical intervention to remove the cancer, the stopping of the colon cancer growth or the tumors withdraw. Anyway, at none of these moments the cancer is actually cured, because recurrences can occur at any time, and so cancerous tumors can reappear. To survive colon cancer can also mean to be able to pass the moment of diagnosis and live with the disease for many years, by keeping it under control.

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Support for colon cancer patients is very important is surviving the disease. Because the shock of the diagnosis can be very strong for both the patient and his loved ones, physiological consolation may be recommended. Participating in discussion and support groups can be another way in getting the help you need to pass by this very difficult moment in your life.

Colon Cancer Mortality

Published on Apr 12 2010, in the categories: Survival Statistics

Colon cancer is the cancer that forms in the tissues of the colon, part of the large intestine. You may not know but colon cancer is a main cause in cancer death not only in the United States, but all over the world. Colon cancer affect every year an impressive number of men and women. In 2009, 106,100 individuals were diagnosed with colon cancer and 40,870 with rectal cancer. Almost 49,920 people died because of colorectal cancer.

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So, colon cancer mortality rates are pretty high. Unfortunately this happens because of the lack of information. Many people do not know which the colon cancer symptoms risk factors or causes are. This is way even when they do have symptoms, and colon cancer symptoms do not usually manifest themselves until the cancer is already advanced, they do not have medical tests because they think it is a simple bowel infection or hemorrhoids. If everybody would know how colon cancer is developed maybe the diagnoses would be done in the first stages and the cancer would be easily treated. This way the mortality rates would not be as high as they are today.

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Colon cancer morality rates are different in different stages of the disease. In stage zero the mortality rates are lower than 5 percent and in stage one they are at about 5 to 8 percent. In stage two colon cancer mortality rates are established at 15 percent. In stage three the mortality rates can vary between 40 to 60 percent and in stage four they can be over 90 percent. This mean that in stage four only 8 to 10 percent of all those diagnosed with this type of cancer survive. The mortality rates are very high in colon cancer stage four because the cancer spreads to other organs and it can affect the lungs, liver or even the brains.

In the United States colon cancer mortality rates are established at a general of 50 percent. So a half of all those who are diagnosed with colon cancer, regardless of the stages, die because of it. This is way, before treating colon cancer it is very important to prevent it. Colon cancer prevention is not hard to make, but you have to know that preventing colon cancer does not men that you can never get the disease, but you can considerably reduce the risks of doing so. Another important thing is colon cancer treatment and detection. If the disease is diagnosed in the first stages, as you could see from the mortality rates, the chances for cure are very high and the disease can actually be treated before it spreads in the individual body and reduces considerable the chances of cure.

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Colon Cancer Survival

Published on Apr 12 2010, in the categories: Survival Statistics

Colon cancer can be a very cruel disease. The fact is that is this type of cancer is diagnosed in the first stages, the chances of cure are very high, but if not it is more likely to bring the patient death than in the case of other types of cancer and this is way colon cancer is the second cause of death among cancer patients after lung cancer for men and breast cancer for women.

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So in general colon cancer survival rates are not the most optimistic ones. The survival rates are established and measured according to the stages of the disease. The chances of curs go lower as the cancer advances. So in stages zero and one, the survival rates are the best ones. About 90 percent of those diagnosed in these stages survive the disease. The chances of cure are not that great in stage two when approximately 70 percent of the patients pass the five years term. In stage three the chances of cure are at about 40 to 60 percent of all those diagnosed with the disease. The worst prognoses are made for colon cancer stage four, when only 10 percent of the patients actually survive colon cancer. The colon cancer survival rates are not the same ones in every country. They are different depending on the medical system of the country, the population informing degree about the disease symptoms, the free screening tests programs or the degree or pollution.

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In the United States for example the survival rates of colon cancer are 93 percent for stage 1 85 percent for stage 2A, 72 percent for stage 2B, 83 percent for stage 3A, 64 percent for stage 3B, 44 percent for stage 3C and only 8 percent for stage 4. Something may seem wrong because we already said that the survival rates are lower in advanced stages, but in stage 3A they are in this statistics much higher than in stage 2. This fact is explained by researches through the thing that in stage 2 colon cancer patients do not receive chemotherapy while in stage 3, they do.

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In Europe colon cancer survival rates are not the same. In stage one 69 percent of those diagnosed with the disease can be cured. In stage two only 62 percent survive. In stage three 59 percent of those patients who developed colon cancer are treated. Less than 8 percent survive the disease in stage four. Way the survival rates are so different can be explained by the fact that the medical systems are very different in the US and Europe. However, there have been made a lot of statistics regarding this subject and they are also different one from the other.

Colon Cancer Survival Rate

Published on Apr 09 2010, in the categories: Survival Statistics

Colon cancer is a disease that affects the area of the colon and evolves in the individual body until it reaches the last stage, stage in which the cancer is already spread to other parts of the body. Like in the case of colon cancer treatment, the survival rates are different depending on the patients’ stage of the disease at the time of diagnoses.
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Of course, the chances of cure and survival rates are higher if colon cancer is diagnosed in the earliest stages when the disease is actually very easy to cure through surgery removal of the cancerous tumors, while in the last stages, colon cancer is one of the most difficult to cure diseases. The cancer is in most cases diagnosed in the last stages because of the lack of symptoms, and this is how the fact that colon cancer is a main cause in cancer related deaths is explained.

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Colon cancer survival rates depend on the stage in which the disease is diagnosed. Colon cancer has got five stages of evolution, zero being the first one and four the last and most advanced one. In stage zero the chances of cure are higher than 90 percent. In stage one, they can be placed between 80 and 95 percent, while in stage two the first drop of the survival rates can be seen. In stage two only 55 to 80 percent of all those diagnosed with this disease survive after five years from the diagnoses moment. In stage three and four, the last stages of colon cancer the hope to be cured are the lowest one.

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In these stages the cancer spread into the individual body and it affects other organs. The main difference between stage three and stage four is that in stage three the cancer affects only nearby tissues and in stage four it can affect organs such as the liver or the lungs, which are not in the immediate close of the colon. In stage three the survival rates are at bout 40 percent and in stage four they are only at 10 percent. Some statistics are even more pessimistic and show that 8 to 10 percent of those diagnosed with colon cancer last stage die because of it. In some cases less than 7% of stage four patients will survive to 5 years, because of the metastases that tumor has created to other organs. In fact the number of metastasis and their exact location is a factor in establishing the chances of cure of one patient. The metastatic phase of the disease has the worst colon cancer survival rates.

The general colon cancer survival rates in America are at about 62 percent and in Europe at 42 percent.

Colon Cancer Survivor

Published on Mar 29 2010, in the categories: Survival Statistics

Colon cancer survival rate is higher when the disease is discovered in its early stages. In stage three and four only miracles can help a patient win the fight with colon cancer.
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Here is an impressive story of a colon cancer survivor who managed to defeat the cruel disease.

Shannon Kellum, a 30 year old accountant from Florida, found out in 1998 that she had terminal colon cancer. The doctors said she could not expect to live long. The cancer had already spread to her liver, with a large tumor that can not be removed. Despite that she had no expectancy to live, she is today entirely healed. But how did she manage to become from a certain lost patient a colon cancer survivor?

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Shannon had been cured because she had the chance to visit one of the best researchers in the area of cancer treatments. After chemotherapy drugs had no effect on her disease, Shannon was administered C225 in April of 1999. C225 was a new drug that was still tested and seems to have good effects on cancer patients. The drug was given once a week intravenously. Chemotherapy was still administrated. In four month her tumor reduced with 80%. In eight months she suffered surgery because the tumor was small enough for it to be efficient. Today she is completely healed. Cancer cell can remain and start or restart a tumor again. Till’ that happens she is healthy and she has won the greatest battle of her life, the battle with death.

Shannon is not the only one who has survived colon cancer. Curtis Pesmen was diagnosed with colon cancer at forty-three years old. Curtis was a health journalist for many years and had wrote different articles about cancer survivors stories and about the cruel disease that kills so many people. In Curtis case treatment worked properly and the cancer was cured. Asked about the cancer effects from a physical, financial and emotional point of view, Curtis said that the physical and emotional effects were the same for him. If there are severe physical issues there are also emotional issues. Colon cancer treatment has an important financial impact on the patient and it can be a real concern.

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Today, in the United States there are some laws that can help financial the cancer patients. They give you the insurance of repairing your financial status once you are cured and your treatment against the cancer has worked.



The colon cancer survivors can give you a lesson of strength and ability to fight without losing hope. It is very important to believe that you can be cured no matter what. Today, researches have reached a point in which life can be extended if the right drugs in the right amount and combination are administrated.

How Long Will I Live With Colon Cancer

Published on Mar 23 2010, in the categories: Survival Statistics

How long will I live with colon cancer” is a question that every patient asks after being diagnosed with this disease. But a simple answer to this question can not be given.

The colon cancer survival chances depend on the stage in which the disease is diagnosed, the exact location of the tumor and the general heath of the patient. If diagnosed in the first stage, colon cancer can be treated very easy, and the chances to survive the disease are very high, about 90 percent. That is way early detection is crucial in colon cancer cases. However, if colon cancer is discovered in the last stages, the chances of cure are very low.
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So, if you want to know how long will you live with colon cancer you have to know the exact stage of the disease, it’s evolution, the treatment that you are going to take in the attempt to cure colon cancer and how your body reacts to medicines. Surgery seems to be the most useful treatment in colon cancer cases, but it can not be performed in every case. When the disease is very advanced and has spread beyond the colon, to other organs, chemotherapy is the most appropriate treatment. But chemotherapy means only the regular administration of powerful drugs that can stop the disease form growing or it can sometimes make the disease withdraw, and so make it operable. However, surgery can be sometimes very difficult and it can mean the removal of a part of the colon and the replacement of the anus with an artificial one, meaning that the patient will have to wear a colostomy bag.

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Today, many patients with metastatic colon cancer can live for years. The efficacy of chemotherapy has also increased. Using chemotherapy, in many patients’ cases tumors shrink more than half in about 50-60% of all the patients. Colon cancer that has reached the fourth stage can also be cured. Some of patients with metastatic disease into the liver can be operated because of the shrinkage. Over the last 5 years the survival has increased.

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In most cases, colon cancer that has spread is difficult to cure. Although some colon cancer patients diagnosed in the fourth stage of the disease live only for a few months, many patients with metastatic colon cancer live 3, 4 or 5 years and sometimes they can live longer. Because of all of these facts, colon cancer prevention and early diagnoses is very important. Many information campaigns regarding colon cancer causes and main risk factors have been made in the attempt to make people realize the great danger that this disease represents, because although researches have found techniques to improve the treatment efficiency, colon cancer still remains one of the main death cause among cancer patients.

Colon Cancer Stage 3 Survival Rate

Published on Mar 22 2010, in the categories: Survival Statistics

Colon cancer has five different stages of evolution that show how far has the disease spread to other parts of the body. In most cancer related disease, the cure is easier if the disease is diagnosed in the earliest stages. Stage 3 is also divided in stage 3A, stage 3B and stage 3C. Stage 3A is the least advanced one and stage 3C the most advanced colon cancer stage.
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Usually the colon cancer is formed in the layer of the colon, and then it can evolve through a thin muscle layer, to the submucosa. After that, the outermost layer of the colon can be affected. If a blood vessel or a lymph node is infiltrated by the cancer, they will help the disease spread faster. When colon cancer is discovered in stage 3A, it has reached the middle layers of the colon and spread to as many as three nearby lymph nodes. In stage 3B, the disease is spread to many lymph nodes and is has also spread beyond the middle layers of the colon, or it has reached to three nearby tissues or it has spread through the colon wall and it has affected nearby organs and to the peritoneum, the tissue that covers most of the organs in the abdomen. In colon cancer stage 3C, the disease affects four or more nearby lymph nodes.

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In general for colon cancer stage 3 the treatment involves a surgical intervention and also chemotherapy. Through surgery the part of the colon that was affected by cancer is removed, and the healthy part is reattached back. Chemotherapy drugs and period of administration depends on the type of the particular characteristics of the patient health and the way his body responds to the medicines.

Colon cancer stage 3 survival rates can be influenced by many factors. The exact location of the tumor is one of them. If the tumor is located on the right side of the colon, symptoms will need more time to appear than if the tumor was on the left side of the colon, and so the disease will be diagnosed later.

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Colon cancer stage 3 survival rates are not very encouraging. If in stage 3A, 83 percent of colon cancer patients are still alive five years after their diagnosis, in stage 3B only 64 percent survive and in stage 3C about 44 percent. To be able to compare this statistics with the other colon cancer stages is important to know that the survival rates for colon cancer stage 1 are about 80 to 95 percent, stage 2, 55 to 80 percent and in colon cancer stage 4, the most serious type, survival rates are about 10 percent from all colon cancer patients diagnosed in this stage.

Resection Liver Metastases Colon Cancer

Published on Mar 18 2010, in the categories: Survival Statistics

Colon cancer, like other types of cancer has different stages of evolution. The first stage is the easiest to treat and the last stage the most difficult. Colon cancer last stage, stage four corresponds to the metastases of the disease, and it can spread to other parts of the body, like liver and lungs.
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The metastastic disease that has spread to the liver is a common situation at cancer patients. Approximately 146,970 Americans are diagnosed with colon cancer every year and 49,920 die because of it, most of the times with metastatic tumors. Way is the liver affected by this disease is not well known, but about 20% to 25% of patients with colon cancer have liver metastases at the time of their diagnosis. Many studies based on the autopsy results showed that almost 70 percent of colon cancer patients have developed liver metastases some time during their illness.

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Like in every type of colon cancer, the early detection of the liver metastases of colon cancer is very important. The new tumors can appear before or after the disease has been diagnosed. In most cases, the presence of liver metastases indicates the non-resectability of the primary tumor. In these cases, chemotherapy is the treatment applied. However, in some cases, the resection of liver metastases improved the survival expectancy of the patients. Colon cancer is a type of cancer in which the presence of limited synchronous liver metastases or metachronous metastases requires surgical resection.

In order to determine the respectability of the metastases the doctor has to know exactly the number, size, and regional distribution of the tumors. Determined by number and localization of the liver metastases and taking into account everything regarding the general medical situation of the patient, only approximately 30% of the colon cancer patients with liver metastases can have resection. If they can have the intervention, their 5-year survival rate increases. Patients who suffered resection have a 5-year survival rate between 30% and 48%, compared to a survival that is less than 5% for patients with liver metastases of colon cancer that are not able to suffer a liver surgery.

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However, the majority of colon cancer liver metastases can not be respectable because of extrahepatic disease or extensive liver involvement. That is way in the last years researches regarding the liver metastases of colon cancer have improved. In order to prevent unnecessary laparatomies in patients that can have a medical intervention, a detailed analyze of the patients health and the function of the organs should be done. Precise anatomic information about the tumor, it’s location and it’s structure should be known before the intervention, for it to be effective. The ideal preparation should combine high sensitivity and high specificity, with a low false-positive rate for metastases detection and characterization.