Stage Four Colon Cancer Information

Colon cancer has five stages, zero to four with four being the most advanced form of the cancer. Only 5 to 15 percent of people diagnosed with Stage Four colon cancer survive five years after the initial diagnosis. Colon cancer, or colorectal cancer, is the third most common cancer diagnosed in men and women in the United States, not including skin cancers.

Identification

• By Stage Four of colon cancer, the cancer has infected the lymph nodes and spread to other organs in the body, like the lungs and heart. A tumor is growing on or in an organ or multiple organs in the body.

Time Frame

• Colon cancer begins as benign clumps of cells called polyps. As they grow, they slowly chew their way through the colon wall, becoming larger and larger polyps until they are able to exit the colon and invade other organs of the body.

Geography

• Colon cancer grows in the large intestine, which is the last portion of your digestive system before it leaves the body. Colorectal cancers exist at the descending colon, where waste leaves the body, but colon cancer can affect the entire large intestine.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of the beginnings of colon cancer are diarrhea, blood in the stool, persistent abdominal discomfort, unexplained weight loss and a change in bowel habits. By Stage Four, the cancer has already been present for some time, along with these symptoms, and other parts of the body will have cancer cells present.

Prevention/Solution

• At Stage Four, colon cancer requires surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy to remove the tumor. Preventing Stage Four colon cancer involves seeing your doctor for recommended screenings and changing your lifestyle to include healthy foods, little to no alcohol, no smoking, exercise and weight control.