Colorectal Cancer: Is colon cancer treatable

Is colon cancer treatable.?
I have read that colon cancer is very treatable but am confused on the outcome. I see people that say colon cancer can be treated and the 5 year servival rate is good. What does that mean. Do people that have colon cancer only live for a max of 5 years even if treated at an eary stage. Or can a long life be possible? Thanks for the help.
Cancer - 7 Answers
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1 :
it is treatable and if caught soon enough, you will survive for years.
2 :
My father-in-law was diagnosed with colon cancer a few months ago. The tumor had gone through the wall, but they were able to get all of the cancer during surgery. None of his lymph nodes showed any sign of cancer. His oncologist recommended chemotherapy just to be sure they got all of it. He's about 1/3 through his chemo at this time. There has not been any indication that he still has cancer. I hope this answers your question.
3 :
Colon cancer is one of the more treatable and PREVENTABLE diseases. All cancer survival depends on (1) how soon you are diagnosed, (2) your attitude about your illness and (3) the treatment you get for it. A 5-year survival rate means that most people live normal life-spans after being cancer-free for five years following treatment.
4 :
One "standard measure" of cancer treatments is the 5-year survival rate, ie how many patients are still cancer-free & living & breathing 5 years after treatment. Among cancers, colon cancer is one of the most "survivable" if it is caught and treated before it has spread much beyond the colon. The affected part of the intestine can be completely removed, and the "loose ends" sewed back together...
5 :
Colon cancer is very treatable IF it is caught early. It is the only cancer that can be cured during the screening exam. During a colonoscopy any polyp is removed and if cancer is found confined to the polyp you are cured. No chemo, no radiation, nothing and this often happens. However, many people are not so fortunate and the cancer is found when it is more advanced, in this case it can be deadly and not so treatable. No one can predict someone will only live 5 years. I think what you are referring to is the 5 year survival rate. This is static of how many people are still alive with the same stage of cancer 5 years after diagnosis. It has nothing to do with having a normal life or being cancer free. The 5 year survival rate for a stage 1 colon cancer is 95%, meaning 95% of the people with this stage are still alive in 5 years. However, at stage 4 the 5 year survival rate drops to only 5%. This is why people should have colonoscopies starting at age 50, if not indicated earlier.
6 :
Doctors don't know the causes of cancer, or 100% guaranteed treatments. So they can never say it is cured. So the measurement of success is "how many patients get to 5 years without dying". This is the 5 year survival rate. It's used for all cancers, not just colon cancer. Why 5 years? It's what has evolved over the years as the standard...it could have been 4 or 10, there is nothing special or meaningful about 5, but somehow 5 came out as the standard. So "the five year survival rate is good" means a lot of patients will reach 5 years without dying from their cancer. Some of these patients will have their cancer come back (but not die within 5 years), some will remain healthy for the 5 years and much longer. So yes, colon cancer patients can have a long life. It is not correct to say colon cancer patients only live a max of 5 years. That's just the time when the doctors stop recording the statistics!
7 :
my mother had colon cancer, and is still alive and kicking 25 years later, so yes a long life is possible.

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Monday, June 20, 2011

Is colon cancer treatable