Colon Cancer Survivability

Even though every person is different, knowing what options you have in front of you can make the experience more within your control.

When first diagnosed with colon cancer it may feel like your world may be ending but the bright side is, if it caught early, you have a 90% survival rate after 5 years.

Since the majority of patients diagnosed are older than 60, the colon cancer survival rate sounds even better!

Colon Cancer Survivability Five Years after Diagnosis

- Colon Cancer Stage 1 is 90%.

- Colon Cancer Stage 2 is 70%.

- Colon Cancer Stage 3 is 56%.

- Colon Cancer Stage 4 is 8%.

Colon Cancer Survival Statistics by Cancer Location (Five Years)

- Right colon: 59%

- Transverse colon: 59%

- Rectosigmoid junction: 62%

- Ascending colon: 63%

- Left colon: 65%

- Descending colon: 66%

Colon Cancer Survival Rate by Colon Cancer Type (5 Years)

- Carcinoid (discrete, yellow, well-circumscribed tumors): 83%

- Leiomyosarcoma (originating from smooth muscle of colon): 57%

- Melanoma (originating and spread from skin cancer): 20%

- Mucinous adenocarcinoma (cancer comprised of at least 60% mucus): 53%

- Sarcoma (originating from connective tissue): 51%

- Signet ring cell (originating in epithelial cells): 18%

Early Screening

Colon cancer hits 1 in 19 people; getting screened early for all cancers can enhance your survival rate and quality of life, long in to your later years.

Ask your doctor for the latest screening techniques, most notably; colonoscopy, fecal occult blood test (FOBT), and flexible sigmoidoscopy.

Undergoing regular screening can give you a 95% survival rate with colon cancer. In it's early stages colon cancer generally begins as benign growths known as adenomatous polyps.

If detected early enough they can be removed by your surgeon without any future worry.