Bowel Cancer & Prognosis

Bowel or colorectal cancer is a disease that occurs when cells in one part of your large or small intestines begin to grow uncontrollably, forming tumors. Approximately 106,000 cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed each year, according to the American Cancer Society.

Factors

• The prognosis of bowel cancer depends on the stage of your cancer when it is diagnosed, the success of treatments like surgery and chemotherapy, and your general health.

Stages

• Stage 1 bowel cancer occurs when cancerous cells have entered the thin layer of cells inside your colon, explains the American Cancer Society. Stage 2 colorectal cancer has reached the outer layers of the colon. Stage 3 bowel cancer is defined by the presence of cancerous cells in lymph nodes that surround the colon, while Stage 4 bowel cancer has spread to another organ outside your colon.

Survival Rates

• According to a study by the National Cancer Institute, approximately 93 percent of patients with Stage 1 bowel cancer live at least five years after diagnosis, while 72 to 85 percent of patients with Stage 2 tumors reach the five-year mark. For Stage 3 bowel cancer, the five-year survival rate is 44 to 72 percent, depending on how many lymph nodes are involved. Only 8 percent of patients with Stage 4 bowel cancer survive five years.

Risks

• If you have already developed bowel cancer once, it is less likely that you will recover fully from your second bout, reports the National Cancer Institute. If a hole has formed in your bowel due to the cancer, it is also harder to recover from the disease.

Considerations

• Ultimately, your individual prognosis from bowel cancer may differ from the national statistics. Your oncologist will be able to give you a better determination of the likelihood that you will recover from the disease.