Colon cancer Health Article

Support Groups

For additional resources and information, see colon cancer support groups.

Expectations (prognosis)

How well a patient does depends on many things, including the stage of the cancer. In general, when treated at an early stage, more than 90% of patients survive at least 5 years after their diagnosis. (This is called the 5-year survival rate.) However, only about 39% of colorectal cancer is found at an early stage. The 5-year survival rate drops considerably once the cancer has spread.

If the patient's colon cancer does not come back (recur) within 5 years, it is considered cured. Stage I, II, and III cancers are considered potentially curable. In most cases, stage IV cancer is not curable.

Complications

• Cancer spreading to other organs or tissues (metastasis)
• Recurrence of carcinoma within the colon
• Development of a second primary colorectal cancer

Calling your health care provider

Colon cancer is, in almost all cases, a treatable disease if caught early. Removal of pre-cancerous polyps by colonoscopy essentially prevents colon cancer. If you are age 50 or older and have not yet had a colonoscopy, you should ask your health care provider about scheduling one. Early colon cancer usually has no symptoms, so screening by colonoscopy is important.

You should also call your health care provider if you have blood during a bowel movement, black, tar-like stools, or a change in bowel habits.

Prevention

The death rate for colon cancer has dropped in the last 15 years. This may be due to increased awareness and screening by colonoscopy. Colon cancer can almost always be caught in its earliest and most curable stages by colonoscopy. Almost all men and women age 50 and older should have a colonoscopy. Colonoscopy is almost always painless and most patients are asleep for the entire procedure.

For information on this procedure, see colonoscopy.

Dietary and lifestyle modifications are important. Some evidence suggests that low-fat and high-fiber diets may reduce your risk of colon cancer.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against taking aspirin or other anti-inflammatory medicines to prevent colon cancer if you have an average risk of the disease -- even if someone in your family has had the condition. Taking more than 300 mg a day of aspirin and similar drugs may cause dangerous gastrointestinal bleeding and heart problems in some people. Although low-dose aspirin may help reduce your risk of other conditions, such as heart disease, it does not lower the rate of colon cancer.

References

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Routine Aspirin or Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs for the Primary Prevention of Colorectal Cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. Ann Intern Med. 2007 Mar 6;146 (5): 361-364.

American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures 2006. Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society; 2006.