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Colon Cancer Survivability
Colon Cancer Survivability has a number of surprising factors. American men have a 44% chance of developing some form of cancer during their life, and American women have a 37% chance. Most people have an approximate 6% chance of developing colon cancer at sometime in their lives.
Some things, like a personal or family history of cancer, may increase your risk. Other things, like following colon cancer screening guidelines, decrease your risk. But patients diagnosed in the United States have a better chance of colon cancer survivability than patients in Australia, Europe, Korea, and Japan. Even so, these are pretty grim statistics.
Early diagnosis and new treatments have improved everyone's chance of surviving but...
The actual numbers tell quite a story - 109,000 new cases of colon cancer and 41,000 new cases of rectal cancer were diagnosed in 2008 in the U.S alone. Tragically, about 50,000 people died from the disease in 2008. While anyone with this diagnosis is part of a large group, that doesn't help individuals with this problem to feel better about it. But just having a diagnosis of colon cancer is no reason to give up and be resigned to fate.
Early detection is the key to surviving colon cancer. Survival does not mean that you are cured or that your treatment is completed if you have this illness. It means that a percentage of people survive colon cancer for a specific period. It also does not mean that these people died because of their cancer. After all, some of the people in this group have other diseases and may have already lived a very long and good life.
The survival rates for colon cancer five years following diagnosis are:
- Stage 1 Colon Cancer: 93%
- Stage 2 Colon Cancer: 78%
- Stage 3 Colon Cancer: 64%
- Stage 4 Colon Cancer: 8%
If you are diagnosed with an early stage, you have a great chance of surviving. Colon cancer mortality is worst at Stage 4.
However, the stage of the cancer is only one factor to consider when evaluating survival rate for colon cancer. There are also seven different types of cancer and each has a different ratio of survivability. So ask your doctor what type of cancer it is.
Five-year survival statistics by colon cancer type:
- Adenocarcinoma: 62%
- Carcinoid: 83%
- Leiomyosarcoma: 57%
- Melanoma: 20%
- Mucinous adenocarcinoma: 53%
- Sarcoma: 51%
- Signet ring cell: 18%
Please consider that the above survival rates are from the late 1980's, and we think that the rates are better now because of greater screening, more effective drugs and other therapies.
Other factors (age, overall health, where you live) influence rates of survival. It is interesting that patients diagnosed in the United States have a better chance of surviving colon cancer than patients in Australia, Europe, Korea or Japan.
The following table shows that it really doesn't matter very much where the cancer is located in the colon.
Five-year survival statistics by cancer location:
- Rectum: 59%
- Right colon: 59%
- Transverse colon: 59%
- Rectosigmoid junction: 62%
- Ascending colon: 63%
- Left colon: 65%
- Descending colon: 66%
Again, these are colon cancer survivability rates from the late 1980's and we expect that chances of survival are much better now.
Treatments are continuing to evolve and survival rates for colon cancer are increasing with each passing year.
It is important to maintain a positive attitude and to work with your doctor because more and more often, we hear people talk about their personal stories of colon cancer survivability.
More Information
We are writing a more comprehensive analysis and discussion on colon cancer survivability. Please use the form in the right column of this page if you want to be added to our newsletter so that we can let you know when our e-book - Surviving Colon Cancer - is available. Also coming soon are related e-books: "Questions to Ask My Doctor," and "New Treatments for Colon Cancer."
- Treatments for Colon Cancer - This article provides an overview of the available treatments for colon cancer.
- Stage 2 Colon Cancer - Stage 2 colon cancer is very curable. Chemotherapy is not needed for all patients, surgery alone can be enough. Cure rates for stage 2 colon cancer with surgery alone is 65% to...
- Colon Cancer Stage 3 - For colon cancer stage 3 patient’s, chemotherapy is required. This stage of colon cancer can be fatal, however there are drugs that can add months, even years onto your life. There are many combinations of different types of drugs, a common combo (aka cocktail) is Eloxatin with Adrucil which is used for patients after...
- Colon Cancer Stage 4 - Colon cancer stage 4 is the utmost degree of colon cancer. Like stage 3 colon cancer this stage is likely to be fatal. Nevertheless there are drugs that can help slow the cancer down adding precious time to your life. Some of the drug combinations include...
- Colon Cancer Survivability - Colon cancer survivability rates and other colon cancer statistics are discussed.Many assume when they’re diagnosed with colon cancer that they are destined to die with colon cancer. Surprisingly colon cancer survivability statistics are...
- Colon Polyp Surgery - Painless colon polyp surgery, polyp removal, analysis of tissue and surgery risks are discussed.During a colonoscopy you may need to get colon polyp surgery. A colon polyp is a small mass of flesh attached to the inner wall of the colon by a stalk of tissue called a pedicle. The surgery itself is simple, and...
- Colon Resection Surgery - Information about colon resection surgery, including hemi-colectomy, resulting in a colostomy are discussed.If you are diagnosed with colon cancer it may be necessary to get colon resection surgery. This page advises you to get a second opinion if your doctor recommended this surgery to be sure you have the best surgical team. A list of...
- Colon Removal Surgery - Colon removal surgery is discussed in understandable terms. A list of things to consider is provided.If you are considering having colon removal surgery you should certainly get a second opinion since it will have a big effect on your life. After colon removal surgery you will have to...
- Recovery From Colon Surgery - Recovery from Colon Surgery is described and explains what you should expect after colon surgery. During the first few days after surgery you will be on an all liquid diet including vitamins and nutritional supplements. About a week after surgery you will not need to maintain the liquid diet but will...
- Side Effects of Chemotherapy - The side effects of chemotherapy for colon cancer are described, along with management methods.Many of the side effects occur when normal, healthy cells get damaged by treatments. Fortunately, doctors now have many ways to...
- Side Effects of Radiation Treatment - The side effects of radiation treatment for colon cancer are manageable and are described here.Like chemotherapy, radiation therapy has side effects. Some side effects of radiation are...
- Bad Nurse or Bad Doctor - To many patients it may appear as though that they have a bad nurse or bad doctor sometime during their treatment. Most of the time these feelings emerge when patients sense there doctor or nurse is not empathetic or sensitive enough to their new found disease. Remember that doctors and nurses...
- Colon Cancer Support - Colon cancer support comes in many forms - medicine, therapy, discussion, help from people.
- Colon Cancer Diagnosis - A colon cancer diagnosis means you should get a second opinion.Once a patient is diagnosed with colon cancer they fear that their doctor may be inaccurate, or they might just want a second opinion, but feel it will offend their regular doctor. When facing the possibility that you may have a serious disease...
- Colon Cancer Alternative Treatment - Colon cancer alternative treatment can be a useful or harmful therapy. During chemotherapy many patients want to know if they can try alternative therapies as well. The answer is no, colon cancer alternative treatment can actually cause chemo or radiation to be less effective. The reason for this is that the antioxidants in the supplements will act as...
- History of Surgery - The history of surgery for colon cancer shows incredible progress in saving lives over the last 300 years. It all started with the Scotch surgeon John Hunter and his discovery that surgery could possibly cure some cancers. This new discovery created...
- Alternative Pain Therapy - Complementary and alternative pain therapy provides options for some patients. There are many different types of alternative pain therapy. One type is acupuncture which is...
- Colon Cancer Survival Statistics - Colon cancer survival statistics show how important it is to get early effective treatment.Colon Cancer survival statistics in the U.S are surprisingly encouraging if the cancer is caught in the earlier stages. The statistics show that...
- Colon Cancer Diet - Colon cancer diet and nutrition guidelines provides information to help the patient feel healthier and recover faster.This page discusses how it is important to maintain a healthy diet because the majority of cancer treatments cause your immune system to...
- Bowel Obstruction - Bowel obstruction can have different causes but needs immediate medical attention. A bowel obstruction often occurs when your bowel is partially or completely blocked. For colon cancer sufferers, it’s usually an indicator that you have a tumor growing in the bowel, forcing the bowel to not...
- History of Chemotherapy - The history of chemotherapy started with scientists examining the effects of military weapons. Today it is a race to cure rather than a race to kill. Chemotherapy has saved many cancer patients although there are still some...
- Cancer Centers of America - Cancer Centers of America are 4 affiliated hospitals with a unique approach to colon cancer therapy. These Centers provide "mother standard" care, meaning they treat you with unconditional support and the warmth a mother would. The doctors offer to...
- Chemotherapy Drugs List - Chemotherapy drugs list with 8 drugs used for colon cancer. Chemotherapy can involve one or more of the 8 drugs in different combinations also known as "cocktails." All of the drugs have different side effects and ...
- Palliative Chemotherapy - Palliative chemotherapy is a therapy not used to cure, but to prolong life and improve cancer symptoms. This type of chemo is used for patients whose cancer is terminal. Palliative chemotherapy can provide patients with increased physical comfort and help give...
- Cause of Infertility - For some patients chemo and radiation can be the cause of infertility. Research is going on to create drugs to prevent ovulation during chemotherapy. There is also...
- Anti Cancer Diet - An anti cancer diet after colon cancer surgery can make a huge difference in recovery and overall health. Here are practical food ideas...
- Chemo for Colon Cancer - Late stage colon cancer must be treated with chemotherapy. Many of the side effects that we used to associate with chemotherapy are now controlled or eliminated. Some types of chemotherapy can be...
- Cancer Treatment Diet - A cancer treatment diet is important because cancer treatment can cause all sorts of nutritional deficiencies. Your diet needs change throughout the stages of your treatment which is why it is best to consult a certified nutritionist or your doctor to determine what may be right for your specific situation. Keeping yourself as healthy as you can...
- Bowel Surgery - When doctors say bowels, they are referring to the last three feet or so of the digestive tract. Large bowel surgery is done for several reasons. One may be that you might have a polyp on your colon. When there is a polyp...
- After Colon Surgery - In most cases, it is surgery that marks your first treatment for colon cancer. The next thing doctors need to do is stage the cancer. After colon surgery, doctors do tests of the cancer, the surrounding lymph nodes and...
- Sigmoid Colon Resection - When the sigmoid colon has a polyp which is cancerous, a sigmoid colon resection is required. Cancer of the colon can be anywhere in the large bowel. This includes...
- Diet for Cancer Patient - The truth is that a diet for cancer patient can be wide and varied. There are foods you can eat that keep your weight and nutrition up and there are foods you can eat that have the chance of fighting the cancer.
