Colon Cancer Survival Rates: What You Need to Know

What Is Colon Cancer?

Colon cancer develops in the inner lining of the colon. The colon wall consists of layers of muscles and tissues. Colon cancer most commonly arises in the mucosa, the innermost layer.

The colon is susceptible to polyps, growths that may appear anywhere along the inner lining. The mucosa contains many cells that create mucus and other substances. When changes occur in these substances, polyps can form anywhere along the inner lining. While colonic polyps can be non-cancerous, many can become cancerous over time if they’re not removed.

Some non-cancerous polyps can quickly become cancerous after they develop, while others take as long as 10 years to become cancerous. Either way, having a polyp detected and removed can dramatically decrease your colon cancer risk.

Colon cancer incidence is somewhat higher among men than women, but both sexes are susceptible to developing the disease, the American Cancer Society says. And while colon cancer is more prevalent among people aged 50 years and older, the disease has become more common in younger adults.

Colon cancer can cause a variety of symptoms, including:

• Fatigue/tiredness
• Bloody stool
• Vomiting
• Changes in bowel movements, such as constipation or diarrhea
• Unintended weight loss
• Rectal bleeding
• Pain or cramping in the abdomen
• Bloating in the stomach
• Excessive gas
• Weakness

Importance of Proper Colon Function

The colon is a component of the gastrointestinal tract and is essential for food digestion. The organ is the last stop before waste enters the rectum, where it leaves the body through defecation, the medical term for a bowel movement. The colon is responsible for removing water and moisture from waste, which turns the waste into solid stool. The colon contains bacteria that eat away at waste, breaking it down so it is easy to release. This process also creates vitamins that the mucosa can absorb. The colon also removes electrolytes and other substances that are important for normal body functions.

The colon is made up of four sections. These sections complete different digestive processes as waste moves through the large intestine. The four sections are the:

• Sigmoid colon
• Ascending colon
• Transverse colon
• Descending colon

Colon Cancer Survival Rates

Colon cancer outcomes depend on several factors, as outlined below.

Cancer stage, based on whether or how far the cancer has spread, is one of the more critical factors. There are five main stages of colon cancer:

• Stage 0 – The cancer is contained within the colon, or is “localized”;
• Stage I – The cancer has spread to other areas of the colon but not to the nearby lymph nodes or surrounding tissue;
• Stage II – The cancer has spread throughout the colon and possibly into the abdominal lining or a nearby organ, but not to the lymph nodes;
• Stage III – The cancer has spread to one or more lymph nodes and possibly to the muscular layers of the colon or rectum or the inner lining and muscle of the intestine;
• Stage IV – The cancer has spread to distant organs and tissues.

Localized colon cancers carry a 5-year relative survival rate of 91 percent, the American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute report. This “relative survival rate” means that roughly 9 in 10 patients with localized colon cancer are as likely to be alive 5 years after diagnosis as a person who was never diagnosed.

Also, colon cancer survival rates per the American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute:

• Regional colon cancer, or cancer that has spread outside the colon but not to distant areas, has a 5-year relative survival rate of 73 percent.
• By contrast, colon cancer that has spread to distant body systems carries a considerably lower 5-year relative survival rate (13 percent).

It is important to note, however, that while statistics spell out average survival rates among patients with colon cancers at different stages, they cannot predict what will happen in any particular patient’s case.

Other Factors That Affect Survival Rate

Aside from cancer stage, several other factors can influence a colon cancer patient’s outcome. These factors include:

• Patient age
• Overall health
• Whether the cancer started on the left or right side of the colon
• If the cancer cells have certain gene or protein changes
• How well the cancer responds to treatment

Healthy lifestyle habits, such as proper diet and regular exercise, can strengthen the body’s ability to fight colon cancer and increase the patient’s chances of recovery or survival. Thus, oncologists and other care team members typically will encourage their patients with colon cancer to:

• Get ample physical activity (in most cases, at least 150 minutes each week, per the U.S. Department of Health and Services
• Quit smoking
• Avoid eating red meat
• Drink alcohol in moderation or not at all
• Lose weight if overweight

Treatment Options for Colon Cancer

The most common treatment for colon cancer is surgery. The surgeon will remove any evident cancer as well as a small margin of adjacent healthy tissue in an attempt to assure that all cancerous tissue has been excised. The surgeon also will typically remove several nearby lymph nodes and send them for testing, to see if the cancer has spread to those nodes and, perhaps, more widely. 

People with colon cancer often are treated with one or more other therapies after (and in some cases before) surgery with the goal of eradicating any potential or known cancer that may exist beyond the surgical site. Treatments can include:

• Radiation therapy, which uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and prevent their spread. Patients may undergo external or internal radiation or receive radioactive medications.
• Chemotherapy, which involves use of powerful medications to attack and kill cancer cells or prevent them from spreading. When tumors are present, chemotherapy can reduce their size, which may also alleviate pain and other symptoms.Chemotherapy may be administered orally or intravenously.
• Targeted therapy. Like chemotherapy, targeted therapy uses drugs to attack cancer cells or disrupt their function and reproduction. However, these medications specifically affect malignant cells – typically by binding to receptors on their surface — while leaving healthy cells intact.
• Immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the body’s own immune system to identify and attack cancer cells.

For some patients whose colon cancer was diagnosed early, polyp removal may be the only treatment needed to eliminate cancer. However, some patients may experience a regrowth of polyps and other masses, making regular monitoring and treatment necessary.

Colon Cancer Treatment at Regional Cancer Care Associates

The medical oncologists of RCCA have extensive experience treating colon cancer at all stages, as well as treating other solid tumors and malignancies of the blood and blood-forming tissues. These specialists make use of cutting-edge, evidence-based treatments that are individualized to each patient’s particular case and also offer patients access to hundreds of clinical trials.

RCCA, one of the nation’s largest networks of oncology specialists, has 22 conveniently located community-based centers in New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, and the Washington, DC area, so that people with colon cancer can receive compassionate, comprehensive care close to home. To learn more about your colon cancer treatment options, contact us today or request an appointment.