Metastatic Colon Cancer
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As the number five occurring cancer in the United States and the number three cause of cancer death, colon cancer is a somber and serious reality that faces many American citizens. Colon cancer is named as many other cancers are, simply by the location in which cancerous masses form in the body. Colon cancer is most common in older males, and especially at risk are people who have a family history of colon cancer. Doctors recommend that people over forty have annual colonoscopies to examine them for warning signs of possible cancer, such as polyps. While it is an uncomfortable process, colonoscopy can save lives by helping to catch cancer signs early and do as much as possible to prevent cancer from growing. Other risk factors like smoking can seriously affect people's chances of developing cancer, and increase your chances of death if you actually do get cancer.
Metastatic colon cancer is just what it sounds like: colon cancer that has metastasized. For those of you not familiar with the medical terminology, when colon cancer metastasizes, or any cancer for that matter, it means that the cancer grows, changes, and spreads from where it initially developed into other organs and parts of the body. Metastatic colon cancer usually first goes to the liver, but a patient can still be asymptomatic unless there is a very large deposit, which like a lot of other liver diseases, Can cause jaundice, which is definitely noticeable by patient and doctor alike. Jaundice, if you're not familiar, is a yellowing of the eyes and skin caused when the liver is not filtering the blood properly due to infection, or in this case, an intrusion of a cancerous mass.
Alcoholism is also another contributing factor to colon cancer. Studies have demonstrated that people who have colon cancer can definitely be at a greater risk of developing colon cancer and of dying from cancer infection. Still, metastatic colon cancer, like any other cancer, can take many years to develop and even longer before it actually causes noticeable symptoms. Colon cancer can sometimes be managed or even completely cured by surgery if it is localized, and chemotherapy and radiation therapy can also prove greatly useful in managing even metastatic colon cancer and perhaps curing it. While it's hard to say what the exact rates of survival are for colon cancer, because there can be so many types and stages, like most cancers, chances are far higher of curing the cancer or at least managing it if it is caught early. Studies have shown that patients who are diagnosed in early stages are five times more likely to survive colon cancer and metastatic colon cancer than are patients who do not start treatment until the disease is already in late stages.
Remember, there is always hope, and technology and medicine are always changing and evolving. Be sure to use all the resources available to you to collect information, and talk to as many reputable doctors as possible to get a full range of opinions and treatment options. Many people beat colon cancer every year, even when it is caught in late stages. Screening processes can be extremely helpful in catching the early onset of the disease, but remember, it is never too late.
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