What is the life expectancy of colon cancer that has metastasized?
Patients with hepatic metastasis of colorectal cancer have a median survival of 5 to 20 months with no treatment. Approximately 20 to 30% of patients with colorectal metastasis have disease confined to the liver, and this can be managed with surgery.
Is metastatic colon cancer fatal?
Your doctor will work with you to determine the best treatment for your specific situation. Metastatic colorectal cancer is rarely curable . The goal of treatment is usually to prolong your life and relieve or prevent symptoms.
Can you recover from metastatic colon cancer?
Cure is not possible for most patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, although some patients who have limited involvement of distant organs (particularly restricted to the liver and/or lung) can be cured with surgery. For others, chemotherapy is the most appropriate option.
What happens when colon cancer metastasis?
Metastatic Colorectal Cancer May Spread Early in the Disease, Study Finds. Colorectal cancer cells can break away from the original tumor and travel through the blood or lymph system to other parts of the body, including the liver, lungs, and brain.
Where is colon cancer most likely to metastasize?
Colon cancer most often spreads to the liver, but it can also spread to other places like the lungs, brain, peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), or to distant lymph nodes. In most cases surgery is unlikely to cure these cancers.
Why does colon cancer metastasis to the liver?
Most liver metastases start as cancer in the colon or rectum. Up to 70 percent of people with colorectal cancer eventually develop liver metastases. This happens in part because the blood supply from the intestines is connected directly to the liver through a large blood vessel called the portal vein.
Can chemo help metastatic cancer?
There are many treatments for metastatic cancer. It often depends on where the cancer began and where it has spread. Chemotherapy is most commonly used, along with radiation, to shrink tumors. Memorial Sloan Kettering doctors are developing many innovative treatments for metastatic cancer.
Is Chemo Effective for Stage 4 colon cancer?
If the colon cancer has spread too far for surgery to be effective, chemotherapy is the primary treatment option. Most people with stage 4 colon cancer will receive chemotherapy or specific targeted therapies to help control the cancer progression or symptoms.
Where does colon cancer usually metastasize first?
The most common include the liver and lungs, as well as the brain, distant lymph nodes and peritoneum (membrane that lines the abdominal cavity).
How is metastatic colon cancer treated?
As noted above, surgery is the only way to cure metastatic colorectal cancer. In most cases, surgery is not possible, and chemotherapy is recommended to reduce symptoms and prolong survival.
What is Stage 4 metastatic colorectal cancer?
When this happens, it is called metastatic cancer. For many types of cancer, it is also called stage IV (four) cancer. The process by which cancer cells spread to other parts of the body is called metastasis.
What is the survival rate for Stage 3 colorectal cancer?
Stage II tumors have survival rates ranging from 55 to 80 percent. A stage III colon cancer has about a 40 percent chance of cure and a patient with a stage IV tumor has only a 10 percent chance of a cure.
What is Stage 4 metastatic adenocarcinoma?
Stage 4 means that the cancer has metastasized to the lymph system or other organs. Because the adrenal gland is attached to the kidney, the cancer often spreads there first. Stage 4 kidney cancer also means that the cancer may have spread into more than one lymph node near the kidney or elsewhere in the body.