You prepped well for your colonoscopy, you showed up for your appointment on time, realized it wasn’t that bad of a procedure, and put it out of your head until your GI doctor told you the last thing you wanted to hear—a diagnosis of colon cancer.
So what now? One of the first things you’ll want to do is have knowledge about what type of colon cancer you have, what stage it’s in, and what treatments are available to you.
What Is Colon Cancer?
Simply put, colon cancer is cancer found in the colon, rectal cancer is found in the rectum, and colorectal cancer is found in both.
When colon or colorectal cancer first begins, it starts as a growth called a polyp. If you have colon cancer in the early stages, your doctor can often remove precancerous or cancerous colon polyps during the colonoscopy before they spread and become dangerous. Later-stage colorectal cancer can metastasize and spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver.
How Serious Is It?
This is, of course, the most prevalent question on your mind. Colon cancer is divided into stages from 0 through IV, with substages within the stages. The system that physicians use to stage colon cancer is known as the TNM system.
- T: Primary Tumor - your doctor will measure the extent and size of the largest polyp.
- N: Lymph Nodes - your doctor checks to see if cancer has spread to any of the lymph nodes.
- M: Metastasize - has the cancer has spread to any other part of the body other than the colon and rectum?
If you tried to read the results of the TNM system yourself, it may be a bit confusing, so it’s much easier to understand the breakdown of colon cancer stages in a simpler way:
- Stage 0: In situ. This means there are cancer cells present but no real growth.
- Stage I: The cancer has grown and spread to the colon or rectum but not to other parts of the body.
- Stage IIA: The cancer has grown past the wall of the colon or rectum but still has not spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body.
- Stage IIB: The cancer has spread to the abdomen (visceral peritoneum) but has not spread to anywhere else.
- Stage IIC: The cancer has pressed through the wall of the colon and rectum and to nearby structures but has not invaded the lymph nodes as of yet.
- Stage IIIA: The cancer has to spread to one to three lymph nodes.
- Stage IIIB: The cancer has spread to several lymph nodes and tissues but not to other parts of the body.
- Stage IIIC: The cancer has spread to four or more lymph nodes.
- Stage IVA: The cancer has metastasized and spread to the liver or lungs.
- Stage IVB: The cancer has spread to multiple parts of the body.
- Stage IVC: The cancer has spread to the peritoneum as well as multiple parts of the body.
Colorectal cancer gradually spreads, so it’s important to hear from your doctor at what stage you are. Stages 0 through II are highly treatable, but there are treatment options for stages III and IV as well.
What Are My Treatment Options?
If you have an early-stage colon cancer diagnosis, you may have been able to have precancerous polyps removed during your colonoscopy. To ensure that there is no new growth, you will have to schedule regular colonoscopies and checkups.
While surgery is often the first-line treatment for colorectal cancer, your doctor may suggest chemotherapy or radiation, depending on your particular case and the stage of your cancer.
Chemotherapy is usually administered intravenously through an IV or by medication taken by mouth. This treatment may also be an option post-surgery or may be used in place of surgery. It may also be combined with radiation in a process known as chemoradiation.
Radiation may be used after surgery to kill cancer cells not seen by the naked eye or may be used in lieu of surgery. What radiation does is use high-energy rays (something similar to an X-ray), and the rays kill the cancer cells, often preventing them from returning. Radiation does have some side effects, such as nausea and fatigue, but it can be very helpful in colon cancer treatment.
Your physician may also opt to use immunotherapy, which boosts your immune system or targeted therapy, which are medications used to treat cancer that are different from chemotherapy, as part of your treatment.
Once you receive a colon cancer diagnosis from your GI doctor, do not panic. The best thing you can do is to set up another visit and discuss treatment right away. Be sure and ask as many questions as possible to be completely involved in your colon cancer treatment. Early detection of colon cancer means you have more treatment options available with a higher success rate of complete cancer removal.
If you want to know more about what happens after a colon cancer diagnosis, our physicians are ready to answer your questions at any of our three offices in Madison, Vicksburg, or Jackson, MS. If you want to schedule your screening for colon cancer, contact us at GI Associates today.
Early detection and action are vital and save lives - don’t delay your screening colonoscopy or follow-up appointments.
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