What is the prognosis of colon cancer?
After a person is diagnosed with cancer the doctor makes predictions about the cancer spread in the future and the life expectancy of the patients. But these things are determined by several factors.
Stage:
The stage of cancer means how far has the cancer spread inside the body. If the cancer is diagnosed on a very early stage, the life expectancy if the patient increases. For example, if the cancer is diagnosed at stage 0 where no lymph nodes are invaded by the cancer the survival rate is high.
Grade:
By the term grade we mean how much the cancer cells resembles the abnormal cells. If the cells look very abnormal, the grade is high. However, if the cells appear quite normal, then the grade is low.
Lymph node involvement:
The lymphatic system rids the body of toxic materials. If the cancer has invaded lymph nodes of the colon there is a higher rate of mortality. If the cancer has invaded the lymph nodes of the nearby organs the mortality rate further increases.
General health:
The general health of the person also plays a key role in the prognosis. If the person is healthy the chances of recovery and cure also increases. The doctor also decides the treatment one can endure on the basis of health.
Presence of CEA:
A protein is secreted by the cancer cells called carcinoembryonic antigen. The CEA levels in the blood increases when a person has cancer. The higher the levels of CEA, the stronger the symptoms of cancer.