Stage 4 colon cancer is known to be the most progressive stage or grade of this disorder. At this stage, this disease may also be referred to as metastatic colon cancer. However, first of all, you are required to understand what does stage 4 cancers mean and that not all of them are compulsorily alike. As per the general definition, a stage 4 colon or bowel cancer is that which has progressed or metastasized beyond the colon of the person. There are many various sites to which cancer can spread. Due to this reason, it is considered that all statistics pertaining to late-stage colon cancer survival are prone to be misleading. Each colon cancer is different. The body of every person as well as the general health and the medical conditions of the person has to be different. Therefore, the time period for which a person with colon cancer- stage 4 can live is also different from one individual to another.

Dr Rudra Prasad Acharya, with above 10 years' experience, can provide the best cancer surgery in Delhi. Check out below everything you need to know about stage 4 colon cancer, its diagnosis, treatment, expectations, and overall outlook.

How long will a person with stage 4 colon cancer live?

When colon cancer of a person progresses to stage 4, it means that cancer has metastasized (advanced or spread) to other tissues or parts of the body. colon cancer commonly spreads to the patient’s liver but might also affect the lungs, the abdominal cavity lining, or the lymph nodes.

How long a colon cancer patient lives after receiving a diagnosis of stage 4 of this cancer varies with multiple things, such as how the patient responds to different available treatment options, where and how much colon cancer has spread, and how the cancer cells start to behave.

However, according to the American Cancer Society, a 5-year relative colon cancer survival rate has been statistically evaluated to be 14%. But since every individual is different and as there are certain important factors as mentioned above, the survival rate for stage 4 colon cancer will usually vary from one patient to another.

How bad is it when bowel cancer has spread to the liver and lungs?

The most usual site where colon cancer metastasizes is the liver of the patient (called liver metastases). However, cancer might metastasize to the patient’s lungs, the peritoneum, the brain, the membranes that enclose the abdominal cavity as well as other regions. In this case, there might be various treatment options or combinations of them available to the patients.

For those metastatic bowel cancer patients who have only some metastases to their lungs and/or liver, eliminating the metastases may sometimes contribute to long-term survival. However, for many other patients of colon cancer- stage 4, these treatments cannot be performed. In this case, the aim of the treatment becomes to try to manage cancer for extending life while improving the quality of life at the same time. In this situation, the question is not “Can colon cancer be cured?” Rather, palliative care is provided to the patients for relieving the symptoms of stage 4 colon cancer.

Diagnosis for stage 4 colon cancer

The proper diagnosis for stage 4 colon cancer might require patience. This is because several tests may be needed for detecting and locating cancer.

If cancer is identified, a number of further tests are needed to detect if it has metastasized.

The tests and procedures which can help in carrying out the diagnosis of colon cancer are as follows:

• A physical examination
• Blood tests
• A colonoscopy for looking inside the patient’s rectum
• A biopsy where the doctor secures a tissue sample from the patient and sends it for analysis in the lab
• Molecular examination so that particular features of the patient’s tumour can be identified which might be vital for treatment
• Imaging tests such as MRI scan, ultrasound, PET or CT scan for checking if cancer has spread
• A chest X-ray for detecting if cancer has metastasized to the patient’s lungs as well

After taking all the required tests as mentioned above, there will be a thorough discussion about the colon cancer diagnosis between the patient and the doctor.

Decisions

If you go through diagnosis for stage 4 colon cancer, you are expected to make certain decisions regarding the way ahead, especially about your suitable treatment options as needed in your specific case. It is essential for you to consult the doctor in detail about all the treatment options which suit your condition and realize the purpose of each of the treatments.

Unluckily for most patients, stage 4 colon cancer is not regarded to be safe. However, it can be treated nearly anytime. Patients with this kind of cancer at this stage can often live for several months and sometimes, even years.

While making decisions regarding colon cancer treatment, it is significant to keep in mind that a new approach to cancer treatment has been found in recent times. However, earlier last-stage colon cancers were all treated in much the same way. Treatments used to be addressed to cancer in general, irrespective of where it has spread. This treatment approach has fortunately changed. Today, when a colon cancer patient possesses only a few or minor sites of metastases, one or only a few of them are called “oligometastatic” (“oligo” referring to ‘few’).

What to expect from your doctor?

Some patients seek very limited information about how long they may be able to live with stage 4 colon cancer. Other patients do not prefer to know such information. Even if you desire as many details as possible, do not forget that it cannot be accurately predicted as to how long a person can survive with stage 4 colon cancer.

You can expect from your doctor to make you aware of a duration of time as he/she predicts you to live. This is the optimum guess for your doctor. It is based on your specific condition and the medical experience of the doctor. Every patient and his/her case are different.

Apart from that, always keep in mind that situations change. Some colon cancer patients may end up living much longer than the doctors have expected. Other patients might survive for a shorter time than expected. Some doctors may totally avoid giving any predictions regarding how long a patient will survive to have stage 4 colon cancer simply since they may not know.

The most significant thing to know is that it is up to you to learn as little or as much regarding your prognosis. Only make sure that what you know or not is absolutely clear to and verified by your doctor.

Outlook

It's observed by ACS that 1 out of 24 females and 1 out of 22 males will go through diagnosis for colon cancer in their lifetime.

Stage 4 colon cancer refers to cancer in a much late stage where the condition has metastasized to distant organs and tissues in the body of the patient. This is the reason why in this late stage, colon cancer becomes highly difficult to treat. That is why the patient may receive only partly successful treatment. Therefore, cancer has a high possibility to recur even after being treated.

As already mentioned, in the case of the patients having this type of cancer, there is a 14% stage 4 cancer survival rate for 5 years (according to ACS).

For example, the success of certain treatment processes might differ among different patients. This is because, for some of them, the treatments may provide successful results while for others, the results might end up being less effective.

Moreover, specialists associate these statistics with past cases. Since treatments continue to become better over the years, survival rates of cancer are also expected to get better with the availability of more effective treatment options.

Individual factors varying from one patient to another can also play a major function in the treatment results of a patient. For example, the overall health and age of a patient may impact his/her intensity of response to his/her particular treatment.

The rate of the advancement of colon cancer might change the cancer outlook also. If cancer leads to complications such as leakage in the patient’s bowel wall or a blockage in his/her colon, the outlook of the patient is more possible to change.

However, the statistics of this survival rate is solely applicable to stage 4 colon cancer when it is primarily diagnosed by the doctor. The survival rate will naturally differ for the patients in whom cancer has either recurred after treatment or has metastasized further.

Summary

Stage four cancer in the colon is cancer at a late stage. In this stage, life expectancy falls down even below it is for preliminary stages of cancer. For this form of cancer, the relative survival rate on a 5-year basis is around 14% as stated before. However, there are other factors such as the overall health of the patient and the specific treatment procedure opted for, which lead to life expectancy.

Although there is often the availability of many treatment options such as chemotherapy, surgery, etc., certain patients who are going through stage 4 colon cancer, decide against having medical treatment and instead go for palliative care.

Any patient who goes through a diagnosis of late-stage colon cancer must have a close discussion with the medical team regarding all the available and suitable treatment options and then decide accordingly what will be the most appropriate treatment as per his/her specific requirements.