Wednesday, May 28, 2008

At what stage does colon cancer become fatal

At what stage does colon cancer become fatal?
A relative of mine has stage 3 colon cancer. I don't know the details, but could somebody tell me when colon cancer becomes fatal and what this person can likely expect to happen in the future?
Cancer - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Colon cancer is not always fatal. Many people go on to have a normal life. It depends on other factors, firstly are there tumours present, if so, how big. Is the tumour/s malignant or not. Stage 3 is unfortunately quite advanced, but it can be eradicated with chemotherap or radiotherapy, or shrunk in order to operate to remove the rest of the tumour. One problem with colon cancer is that the person will almost certainly have to have part of his/her bowel removed resulting in a colostomy bag. Also with this type of cancer it can spread to other organs, such as the liver and spleen/pancreas. It really depends on how early it is caught.
2 :
At stage 3, colon cancer does not have to be fatal. Surgery can be done where that part of the colon is removed and all surrounding colon that harbor the cancer cells. The bad side of this is a colostomy bag. The patient will more than likely have to wear one. The good side to this is they can live a long life with colostomy bags. So think positive because everyone is different and can tolerate illness differently than others. Just remember, 3rd stage does not have be a death sentence. If my sister can live through 4th stage ovarian cancer, so can your relative. There are never any guarantees and No one can give you one. Just pray and trust all is in God's hands.
3 :
If she knows it a stage 3 she has already had surgery and this rarely requires a colostomy bag. Stage 4 is when it is no longer curable with a 5-year survival rate of 5%. There are three parts to stage 3 A, B & C. The 5-year survival rate ranges for 50-80%. The standard treatment is chemo and radiation along with additional scans and blood tests to check her response. Hopefully after that she will only need screening colonoscopies every 3-5 years.
4 :
. Colon is the main "sewer" in your body and sometimes the toxins are accumulated for months. Having your colon cleansed every once in a while is very important to a healthy lifestyle and could prevent a many diseases.

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