Like many cancers, your chances of beating colon cancer increase with early diagnosis. “Stage one is usually treated with surgery depending on what you find a surgery that’s usually all you need,” said Lee Health Oncologist Dr. Janine Harewood.
The four stages speak to the progression of the cancer. “Stage two surgery is still the standard, however based on what we find at surgery, you’re more than likely may need to be offered chemotherapy,” said Dr. Harewood.
There’s a big difference between having to go through chemotherapy and just surgery alone. “Stage three standard is definitely surgery and chemotherapy,” said Dr. Harewood.
In stage one, the cancer is just in the bowel, in stage two and three it can be spread to the lymph nodes, and stage four is when it’s both outside the bowel and lymph nodes. “Stage four is the deadliest stage of the disease. Depending on how much disease there is, you may still be a candidate for surgery, but for the most part the standard of care is chemotherapy alone,” said Dr. Harewood.
Your chances of surviving stage one is about 80%, but when you’re at stage four it’s only about 30%. The best thing you can do is get a colonoscopy every 10 years once you turn 45. “It’s the gold standard! It is preferable not only can detect cancer but you can prevent cancer by removing lesions earlier,” said Dr. Harewood. To learn more about colon cancer and screenings, search for it on Leehealth.org.
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Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries. Lee Health - Caring People. Inspiring Care.
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