It’s estimated that there will be 106,100 new cases of colon cancer and 49,920 colon cancer deaths in the United States this year. For American men, colon cancer colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death (25,240), following prostate (27,360) and lung (88,900). For American women, colorectal cancer is also the third-most cause of cancer death (24,680), following breast (40,170) and lung (70,490). However, with adequate colonoscopy screening, it’s believed many of these cancers can be detected early and many of these deaths can be prevented.

With colon cancer, the initial stage, which is Stage 0, is found in the epithelial tissue of the innermost lining of the colon. Here, doctors find cells that are abnormal but have not yet mobilized into full-blown cancer. To treat this stage, doctors will perform a polypectomy, which is a local excision to remove the tumor and surrounding tissue. This treatment is usually considered curative and often no further problems develop if caught early during colon cancer screening tests. In Stage I, the cancer has spread beyond the innermost layer to the second and third layers, as well as the inside wall of the colon. According to the National Cancer Institute’s most recent data (1991 to 2000), there is a 93% survival rate for colon cancer patients with Stage I cancer.

Stage II of colon cancer involves tumors that have just spread from the outer layers to the muscular colon wall, but have not yet reached the lymph node cells (which fight infection). This stage is further subdivided into II-A, which is when the cancer that has spread from middle tissue to the tissues around the rectum, and II-B, which indicates the cancer has spread beyond the colon wall into nearby organs, like the bowels, uterus, prostate or bladder. The survival rate for II-A is 85% and II-B is 72%, the National Cancer Institute reports. By stage III, when the cancer has spread into one or more lymph nodes, the survival rate is anywhere from 44% to 83%.

The fourth and last stage of colon cancer is the most deadly, with just an 8% survival rate. By this time, most patients have metastatic colon cancer, which means the tumors and abnormal cell growths have migrated through lymph nodes to other larger organs, like the liver and the lungs. If detected early, colon polyps can be easily removed during a colonoscopy or a minimally invasive laparoscopic surgical procedure. During Stages II and III, parts of the colon may need to be removed and reattached. Often chemotherapy and radiation therapy are recommended as complimentary therapies to surgery in the later stages as well.

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