Colon Cancer Prognosis

Colon cancer prognosis refers to systematically calculating the most likely medical outcome of a patient suffering from colon cancer. A prognosis includes many types of vital information, particularly the kind of colon cancer and the course-of-treatment deemed most suitable. Colon cancer prognosis is critical since it helps the patient and his family to understand the most-probable scenario in terms of the related expenses, lifestyle changes that the treatment would induce and chances of recovery in the patient’s condition. In colon cancer, the stage of the cancer is the main, determining factor that affects the prognosis.

Colon Cancer Stages Affecting Colon Cancer Prognosis

Determination of the stage of cancer involves various kinds of testing, or screening, procedures. A colon cancer stage is categorized through a system referred to as the Duke’s System. According to this system, colon cancer is divided into various stages, each representing noteworthy changes in terms of the likelihood of malignancy of the cancer, chances of the patient’s survival and relevancy of various kinds of treatment. The Duke’s System is rather easy-to-understand. For instance, Duke’s A level cancer refers to Stage 1 colon cancer. Based upon this system, colon cancer stages are categorized into the following:

Colon Cancer Stage 0

This is regarded as the ‘in situ’ stage. Commonly, physicians refer to this as the earliest form of colon cancer, such as when there is a definite chance of a comprehensive treatment. In situ cancer stage refers to cancerous growth that has just started and shows no signs of spreading to the surrounding body parts. During this stage, the carcinoma is limited to the epithelial tissue lining which is the colon’s innermost lining. After stage 0, each successive stage puts forth an ascending order of the degree of malignancy and the worsening of symptoms.

Colon Cancer Stage 1 or Duke’s A Colon Cancer

This is also called Stage A colon cancer. This stage indicates that the cancerous growth has further penetrated the mucosal lining of the colon but it is still limited to the confines of the bowel. Stage 1 colon cancer is also established when a colon polyp progresses into a tumor. During this phase, the tumor can be in any of the tissues that line the colon. Here, treatment through surgery is seriously recommended since there is every possibility of successfully removing the cancerous part of the colon.

Colon Cancer Stage 2 or Duke’s B Colon Cancer

This is commonly referred to as Stage B colon cancer. It indicates that the cancer has penetrated into the middle layers of the colon and spread into its muscular layer. Again, surgery is highly recommended as the prognosis is still good for removal of cancerous cells. This stage may, or may not be accompanied by other forms of therapy such as radiation or chemotherapy.

Colon Cancer Stage 3 or Duke’s C Colon Cancer

Often called Stage C, this phase indicates that the cancer has now attained greater malignancy, in that the cancer has extended beyond the colon and spread to the lymph nodes. Stage 3 is confirmed only when the cancer has spread across to at least three, lymph nodes. At this stage, the cancerous growth presents a greater propensity to spread across other vital organs.

Colon Cancer Stage 4 or Duke’s D Colon Cancer

Stage 4 is commonly believed to be the most advanced and the most fatal form of colon cancer. During this stage, colon cancer attains a higher level of metastases and spreads to vital organs like the lungs and liver. Patients presenting Stage 4 symptoms during colon cancer prognosis have the lowest survival rate according to statistical studies. This is also the stage when the attending medical staff may not provide the freedom of choosing a course-of-treatment; immediate treatment might be enforced as a life-saving procedure.

Other Factors Affecting Colon Cancer Prognosis

Some other, important factors that can influence the prognosis include:

• Age of the patient
• History of the patient’s reaction to various types of medications/drugs
• Overall or general health condition, i.e. both physical and mental conditioning
• Patient’s medical history in terms of acute/chronic medical conditions that might affect the chosen form of treatment
• Comparison of statistics such as colon cancer survival rates and mortality tables for the patient’s age-group, gender and ethnicity
People can easily prevent getting to the stage when a medical intervention is needed for preventing or treating colon cancer. A simple, effective and affordable solution lies in regularly removing the toxins from their colons by using colon cleansing products.