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Colon Cancer Survival Rate - Are You A Survivor?

Saturday, December 17, 2011 6:50:00 AM Posted by Cancer Centers
The colon cancer survival rate of a patient may be determined by the type of treatment plan he/she is using. Knowing that colon cancer has about an asymptomatic stage followed by 4 disease stages, we should also know that not all colorectal cancers are detected at the earliest stages. In actuality, the truth behind most cancers is that they are only diagnosed once the symptoms become severe to the point that it has affected the daily livings of the patients. Like what is commonly said-cancer is a traitor disease: it strikes when u least expected it and only makes itself known when you have started experiencing all its crazy bout of symptoms. In most cases, the average detection point of colon cancer is when most of the painful symptoms are experienced because this is the time when patients seek medical advice and check up to diagnose the disease. Usually, people get help when the cancer is at the 2nd to 3rd stages.

Since this article will tackle about the colon cancer survival rate with the treatment plan as the determinant variable, we will base our colon cancer survival rate from the stages where most patients ask for help - stages 2 and 3. This is also the time when these is a boost of treatments available to try combating the proliferation of cancer.

Colostomy
The most common treatment advised once the cancer has grown enough to appear on medical laboratory tests and confirm diagnosis is to subject the patient to a colostomy or colon surgery. Surgery is considered a crucial part in increasing your colon cancer survival rate. Since the cancer has not yet infected bigger parts of the colon (or parts beyond the colon) at this time, your five-year colon cancer survival rate is around 70-90%. Patients who were able to survive the surgery and began to display acceptance of the post-operative consequences showed a higher and long-term prognosis after surgery. There is also a number of cases where patients were able to return to their normal lifestyle and survive the cancer. However, there is one major downside of this treatment. Since colostomy means your solid intestinal waste will be excreted from no longer out of your anus but will be out of a surgically made hole on your stomach, it can be extremely inconvenient for many patients. Bowel excretion through your stomach is going to be forever, hence, lifetime maintenance is also needed. For many colon cancer sufferers, the consequences of the surgery seem to be more dreadful than the disease itself, therefore a lot of patients would never dare try the surgery.

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the next treatment of choice for colon cancer (and probably as well as for most cancers). It is done by the use of medications to destroy or stop the proliferation of the cancer cells in hopes of prolonging your life. Often, after surgery, a patient may also be subjected to a series of chemotherapy to kill the remaining microscopic cancer cells. Recent studies have shown that with the surgery and chemotherapy combined, there is delay of tumor recurrence therefore increasing your colon cancer survival rate as well (average percentage is around 90%). The effect may not be as substantial if the patient will only rely on chemotherapeutic drugs (average percentage of 60-80%).

Radiation Therapy
Updates have been made in the treatment of colorectal cancer and radiation therapy is now limited to patients whose origin of cancer has started at the rectal part of the colon. Without radiation, there is about 50% risk percentage for patients with rectal cancer, making your colon cancer survival rate a dire 50% as well. Risk is then lowered for 7-10% for patients who had surgery and undergone radiation therapy as well.

By Mert Ozge

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