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Colorectal
Cancer: Staging and Prognosis
Getting the best resources activated are essential. Colon cancer isn't an overnight killer. Take time to get the best information and resources. I highly recommend you order the Moss Report for your particular situation. Read more about that here. Early
detection of colorectal cancer provides the greatest odds of beating the
disease. Screening methods
and staging have been discussed in other articles. The following graph
incorporates staging methods and prognosis.
As
can be seen in the above graph, prognosis is highly dependent on the
stage of the colorectal cancer. A
better understanding of the main staging categories will be helpful
here. Basically, stage A (Duke's) indicates that the cancer has
penetrated only the most superficial layer of the bowel wall (the mucosa).
Stage B means that the cancer has penetrated into the muscular
layer of the bowel wall. Stage
C indicates that the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, and stage
D indicates spread to other sites (metastases) commonly the liver and
the lung. If you are found
to have colorectal cancer, there are a few tests and procedures that
will be employed to determine the stage of the cancer.
These include chest x-rays to see if the cancer has spread to the
lungs; CAT scans to determine the degree of metastases, particularly in
regards to the liver; and the pathologist's report which will be used to
determine how deep the penetration into the bowel has been, and if there
is lymph node involvement. Treatment
options will be discussed in detail in other articles, but generally
speaking the standard treatment for colon cancer has involved removing
the infected section of the colon and then rejoining the intestine
(resection and anastomosis).
This appears to be quite effective in stage 1 disease and stage
II disease with 5-year survival rates approaching 90%.
Stage III disease denotes lymph node involvement, and studies
indicate that the number of lymph nodes involved affects prognosis.
(National Cancer Institute).
Patients with 1 to 3 involved nodes have a significantly better
prognosis than those with 4 or more involved nodes. Stage
4 colon cancer (metastatic) clearly has the worst prognosis.
However, not all stage IV cancers are the same.
For example, the NCI reports that patients with 3 or less hepatic
(liver) metastases have a five-year survival rate of 20 to 30%.
New
approaches to late stage colon cancer are being investigated.
For example in a recent study published in the December 30, 1999
issue of the New England Journal of Medicine researchers found that colon cancer
patients with metastases to the liver had better odds if the
chemotherapy was injected directly into the hepatic artery.
There
is insufficient data at this point to quantify the effectiveness of
complementary therapies in colon cancer.
National
Cancer Institute. PDQ * Treatment * Health Professionals [available
online] http://www.meds.com/pdq/colon_pro.html
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"Alternative Cancer Treatments"
Michael Guthrie,
R.Ph. CGP 2003-2006
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