Prognosis for Stage 4 Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is also known as colorectal cancer or large bowel cancer. The cancer may have affected the colon, appendix and rectum. It is said to be the fourth most common form of cancer. Normally, colon cancer is caused due to polyps in the colon. Usually the polyps are benign, but they can become cancerous after a particular period of time. Therefore, the polyps can be seen as the early signs of colon cancer. It is important to remember here that not all polyps are cancerous. Colon cancer grows very slowly, therefore the symptoms of colon cancer may not be seen for a very long period of time. We will see the prognosis for colon cancer, but before that we will see the causes of colon cancer.

Causes of Colon Cancer

A lot of people ask, what causes colon cancer. The exact cause of the problem is difficult to locate. People who often suffer from Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis are at an increased risk of colon cancer. Exposure to industrial cancer causing substances can also cause the problem. It can also be caused due to certain inherited gene mutation. Such gene mutation can also give rise to other cancers.

Prognosis of Colon Cancer

Colon cancer prognosis is done by finding out the stage of the cancer. The stages of colon cancer are as follows.

Stage 0 Colon Cancer
The colon cancer warning sign is polyps. When polyps turn into cancer, innermost lining of the colon is affected. Normally in this stage, the tumor is surgically removed. In stage 0, cancer life expectancy is high.

Stage I Colon Cancer
In the next stage of colon cancer, the disease makes it out of the inner lining and moves into the next layers and comes closer to the inside wall of the colon. It however, does not make its way to the outer wall or affect any other part. In this stage, cancerous tumor is removed and also small amount of the tissue is removed with it. The survival rate in this stage of cancer is as high as 93%.

Stage II Colon Cancer
The cancer makes its way through the muscular colon wall, but the lymph nodes are not affected with cancer yet. Like in the previous two stages, in this stage also surgery is used to get rid of cancer tumor. Chemotherapy for colon cancer is used in this stage, so that there is no recurrence of colon cancer. The stage II colon cancer life expectancy is at 78% for five years.

Stage III Colon Cancer
The cancer has reached a severe stage. It has made its way out of the colon area. A couple of lymph nodes may also be affected with cancer at this stage. The prognosis for stage 3 colon cancer depends on the spread of the disease. In some cases, the lymph nodes inside the colon may be affected and in some cases, lymph nodes outside the colon may be affected. The condition becomes all the more serious if more than four lymph nodes are affected with this condition. Surgery is used to remove the tumors. The lymph nodes may also be removed. Normally, the surgery is followed up with chemotherapy. If required, radiation therapy will also be given if the size of the tumor was large and it has affected the surrounding tissues in the colon.

Stage IV Colon Cancer
The disease has reached critical stage and stage 4 colon cancer prognosis depends on the parts of the body affected with cancer. The prognosis for stage 4 colon cancer takes into consideration, how much of the colon is affected with the disease, has the disease has spread out of the colon and has also made its way to the other parts of the body, etc. Often the disease spreads to the liver or to the lungs. The size of the tumor can vary. The lymph nodes may not necessarily be affected with the disease. The stage 4 colon cancer survival rate depends on the spread of the disease. At the same time the affected organs also have a role to play in deciding stage 4 colon cancer life expectancy.

The first step in treatment for stage 4 cancer is surgery. The part of the colon affected by cancer is removed and the healthy part is joined back. The surgery is followed up with chemotherapy and radiation. However, the decision is made depending on, which of the lymph nodes are affected with cancer. The survival rate is hugely dependent on the stage 4 colon cancer prognosis and is estimated at 8 to 15% for about 5 years.

The prognosis of cancer decides the life expectancy. As a matter of fact, the stage 4 colon cancer prognosis is the worst of all the stages. When the disease has spread to other parts of the body and the lymph nodes are also affected, the life expectancy reduces.