Colon Cancer Support Group

Colorectal cancer, also called colon cancer or bowel cancer, includes cancerous growths in the colon, rectum and appendix. Many colorectal cancers are thought to arise from mushroom-like growths that are usually benign, but some may develop into cancer over time. The majority of the time, the diagnosis of localized colon cancer is through colonoscopy.

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Colon cancer cured

deleted_user
deleted_user
I was diagnosed with colon cancer last summer at 43 years of age. I was blown off by doctors for 5 years due to my age. I finally had 9 inches of my colon removed in July. No chemo or radiation was needed and I am supposed to be cured. I fear that cancer will return one day but for now I am thankful. Don't let any doctor tell you that you are too young for colon cancer. Get a colonoscopy if you have symptoms. If you have colon cancer, there is hope.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Dale -

Thanks for that website link. I am currently experiencing the 'what ifs' about recurrence and this website gives some very good advice.

Thank you. :)
deleted_user
deleted_user
Missy,

I'm surprised you haven't seen an oncologist, but you might want to take that extra step and talk to one. My family doctor is a great guy but by his own admission, he's not an oncologist and refers any and all cancer-related questions I have to my oncologist. Something to think about.

Dale
deleted_user
deleted_user
sabeebe,

I too still experience the "what ifs" and wonder if I'm doing all the right things to minimize the return of cancer. We can't give up the fight!

Dale
deleted_user
deleted_user
Oncologists do not see people with Stage 1 colon cancer. I am very "cancer savvy" unfortunately and my doctors are at a very top cancer center, University of Pennsylvania, with second opinions from M.D. Anderson. I have never seen an oncologist for colon cancer. Missy said she is seeing a GI doc. Those are the ones who follow Stage 0 and 1 patients. I would be happy to explain more if anyone is interested, but I don't want to hog up this thread. I think there is a bit of confusion about treatment for different states of cancer. The only person I ever heard of getting chemo for Stage 1 was in Bangladesh. Even for Stage 2 there is no evdience that chemo helps, though most cancer centers give patients an option.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Missy - Your doctors did not do you a disservice by telling you that you are "cured" if you are Stage 0 or Stage 1.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Okay, so my question is then, if surgery cured my cancer then what kind of follow-up testing should I have. I already had my one year post-surgery colonoscopy and the blood test (CEA, I think) earlier this year. Both came out normal. I'm pretty sure I was considered stage 0, although no doctor ever officially told me that. My "what if" question is that if even one cancer cell was left behind, then I may have cancer growing in my liver or wherever. Right? How much more cautious do I really need to be than the average person? Another person here told me that the CEA test isn't that reliable. True? I probably sound like a hypochondriac but I'm really not. I just want to make sure, like everyone else, that if I get cancer again, I want to make sure it's found early. That's all.
Thanks for the info. Missy
deleted_user
deleted_user
Missy - It is correct that the CEA tumor marker isn't "that reliable," but there is no test that is 100% reliable. I started another thread with a link to the NCCN guidelines for treating different stages of colon cancer. Here is a NY Times article with a summary of the same information -

http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/colon-cancer/treatment.html

A quote from the article:

"Colorectal cancer is among the most curable of cancers when it is caught in its early stages."

If you don't trust your doctors, you should get a second opinion, but I don't think they are misleading you. I wouldn't let things you read on the internet plant seeds of doubt in your mind. Life is too short!