Prostate Cancer Blog

Posts Tagged ‘cancer’

If my mom’s mom died of colon cancer at 36 and my mom had stage one colon cancer at age 60 what are my chances of getting it and when should I get tested? Also my sister has stage IV breast cancer at 50 and her doctor said I have nothing to worry about and should not be tested early. Is this true?

Every cancer is a different disease. Therefore there is no connection between your mother’s colon cancer and your sisters breast cancer. Although 50 is young for breast cancer it is not young enough to consider a hereditary component. However, your mother was very young for colon cancer. Without more information it is difficult to know if there may be a hereditary component with this or not. It would be helpful for any doctor if you were able to get her medical records. The recommendation for colon cancer screening is to start at 50 years old. Only knowing what little you have mentioned, to be on the safe side I would say you should be screened at 35 years old. At least it will give a baseline and some idea if your colon appears healthy or not and from there the doctor will know how often you should be screened. Your family doctor is not the best person to advise you on this, you should get a consult from a gastroenterologist.

And how does one get screened for Intestinal cancer?

Colon cancer runs in my family and I have a colonoscopy every year. But I found out that a close relative has Intestinal cancer.

As other peole pointed out, "colon" cancer is a cancer specific of the large intestin, whereas "intestinal" cancer could affect any part of the intestine (including the small intestine, i.e. duodenum, ileum and jujenum).

If colon cancer runs in your family, you are likely to have FAP, or Familial adenomatous polyposis, an inherited colorectal cancer syndrome. People with the classic type of familial adenomatous polyposis may begin to develop multiple noncancerous (benign) polyps (growths) in the colon as early as their teenage years.
This cancer usually develops in the lower part of the digestive system, including the large intestine (colon) and rectum. However, the FAP syndrome could present a risk factor for the cancer of the small intestine (what your relative might have), therefore this person could also carry the genetic mutation that confers cancer predisposition (the APC gene, in the case of FAP).

Feel free to contact me for more information

I know someone who just found out they had colon cancer and i know it is a deadly disease i just don’t know how deadly.

Noone can accurately predict how long someone has until the true signs of death are approaching. Stage IV means that it has moved beyond the original "site", and even beyond the immediate area. There are different factors that go into how long a person has to survive, the will to fight, diet, treatement (palliative chemo, etc..) I’ve heard of people that even go into remission from stage IV, it’s very rare but it happens. My soon to be mother in law got diagnosed with cervical cancer last year and unfortunately it has spread, and she is now in stage IVb and is now in palliative care at a local health center. But she’s fighting and trying to stay positive, and I know she’ll be here for our wedding in October. Please visit www.cancer.gov for information, they have alot of resources. I wish the person that you know all the luck in the world, and please stay positive!
Edit: I’m sorry, I had forgotten to add that alot of the time, if a doctor deems a patient uncurable, he may reccommend Hospice care. Alot of the time this occurs when it’s determined that the patient has six months or less to live.

My Mother has has colon cancer for about 3 years now & the chemotherapy was never helping her. About a month ago I found out that the cancer has spread in the lungs and breasts, she also has Internal bleeding. I hear that there are natural cures that the doctors do not speak of, but I really need help because she is dying. My question is, do anyone know of any natural medicines for cancer that could help my Mother?

About the best chance she might have is becoming part of a clinical trial for a new treatment. You should ask her oncologist if there are any in which she might participate. There could be a medicine that could help her … but even if not, she could be helping future generations fight the disease by helping bring tomorrow’s treatments to market.

My aunt was recently diagnosed with Colon Cancer. I really don’t know too much about it. What is the survival rate? Is it usually treatable as far as cancer goes? I welcome any comments from surivors or people with relatives with cancer or anyone really. Thanks in advance.

If the tumor is confined to the colon, it’s actually very easy to deal with nowadays. A surgeon can simply remove the affected length of colon (it’s just a big tube) and sew the ends together, and your aunt will be good as new! (almost).

The prognosis is not so good if it has spread to other places, but cancer has become much more of a treatable disease in the last few years.

My best wishes to your aunt. I hope she doesn’t smoke, and is improving her diet.

I was just wondering if anyone thinks they will have cures for colon cancer soon, i heard they can now tell by simple bloodtest if you have it or not.

As they learn more an more about the molecular biology of colon cancer they undoubtedly will have more and more effective treatments. But the most important thing will always be to detect it as early as possible, because surgery in that case will be the only treatment needed.

i think my husband might have colon cancer. he complains that he feels like he has go to the bathroom but doesnt need to, throws up every night, tired/weak, stomach hurts alot and little blood in toilet. could that be what it is or something else?

1. You’re pooping more or less often.
The presence of a tumor in your bowel throws things off. As your body tries to adjust to its presence, demands, and byproducts, you may experience changes in your bathroom habits. For example, let’s say a tumor is slowly growing in your colon, inhibiting the flow of solid waste. You may or may not notice that you’re defecating less often.

But if the tumor gets large enough, it may become very difficult for your poop to get by it and you’ll end up constipated. Sound like a crap shoot? (No pun intended.) The tumor may obstruct your bowel. You may notice a difference. You may get constipated.

That’s why, in general, it’s best to get regular screenings rather than rely on symptoms to alert you to the presence of the cancer.

2. Your stool is thinner than usual.
Imagine a three-lane tunnel full of cars, all driving through with a nice, steady flow. Now imagine that two big rigs decide to block the left lanes in tandem… then they slow to a stop. Both of them. Blocking both left lanes. What do the cars do? They start filing to the right so they can get around the obstruction.

The same sort of thing happens in the bowel. Everything is flowing fine and dandy until a tumor starts to grow, causing an obstruction. As the obstruction gets bigger, the space around it gets smaller. So, as you might expect, tumors toward the "tunnel exit" tend to cause this effect of narrowed stool.

3. You have stomach cramping or bloating.

Bloating may be the result of a bowel obstruction. Cramping may be caused by constipation or diarrhea. In more advanced stages of colorectal cancer, severe abdominal cramping may be caused by the tumor perforating (poking through) the bowel wall.

4. There’s bright red blood in or on your poop.
Tumors tend to bleed. Not a whole lot and not constantly, but they do bleed. As a result, some of that blood may be found in your stool. If the tumor is in the right colon, the blood will most likely be dried and virtually invisible by the time the poop leaves the body. However, if the tumor is in the rectum or toward the end of the left colon, it may still be fresh and therefore, bright red.

5. You’ve experienced unexplained weight loss.
Many of us wouldn’t want to question unexplained weight loss. We’d just be happy to be losing weight! But, even though the prospect of losing weight without even trying may seem a blessing, it really is something to question. It’s the old "if it sounds too good to be true…" idea.

See more at http://coloncancer.about.com/cs/thebasics/a/Top10CCSymptoms.htm

I’m sorry that I can’t phrase that a little bit less harsh, but I have recently found out someone that I know has stage II colon cancer. He has had surgery and is in round 2 of a six month chemo treatment. Will my friend survive? For how long?

Most cancers are measured in survival 5-year survival rates. This is the percentage of people alive 5 years after being diagnosed with the same kind and stage of cancer. Stage 2A colon cancers have a 5-year survival rate of 80% and 2B has a 75% survival rate. Long term survival depends on how well they respond to treatment. If is not uncommon for some cancers such as breast cancer or melanoma to recur 10-15 years later. This is not the case with colon cancers when they recur it is usually within 2-4 years.

Location – Oregon, Salem
Age – 15 (16 nov 30)
Diagnosed – Yesterday
Stage of colon cancer – 2
Sex – Female
She is the most important person to me in my life we met August 3, 07 over myspace if she goes I go.

Having getting told you have cancer almost your birthday is so sad to me makes me cry why does this have to happen
My girlfriend
You did answer my question but being rude I want more opinions about this

well. I have Lost 3 family members due to cancer and had 1 survive. the three that died had very very bad cancers and the 1 that survived had colon cancer.. This is the cancer that is one of the easier ones to treat.. It is Not in any way a death sentence. You need to support her and go about your life with her as if she didn’t have it… More likely than none she will be Just fine.

Yes,I don’t know if I really have colon cancer or not.And I am to embaressed to ask my doctor if I do,considering the fact that I would have to tell him that I have blood in my stools.

Though blood in the stool may not necessarily mean colon cancer, it is important to have it checked by a doctor.

As some of the others have mentioned, the color of the blood in your stool is significant. Bright colored blood could mean hemorrhoids and dark colored blood must surely be investigated.

I am familiar with colon cancer because my dad and grandma died from it. Most of the time in the initial stages, there are hardly any symptoms. But once you pass out blood, it could already be stage one. But stage one colon cancer means that the survival rate is more than 90% and the patient need not go through chemotherapy.

So, even if it is colon cancer, early detection can help you survive to a ripe old age. So I would suggest that you go see a doctor immediately. There is nothing to fear. In fact it will give you peace of mind.

A friend of mine had blood in his stools and he thought he has hemorrhoids. He delayed seeing a doctor for 6 months. In the end, his whole rectum had to be removed and a colostomy has to be constructed to allow feces to flow out from his stomach into a bag. He no longer has control over his bowel movements.

I hope you see a doctor immediately because too many people have ignored the early warning signs.

BTW, no one here can tell from your symptoms whether you have or do not have colon cancer. Even the doctors cannot tell unless you go through a colonoscopy and have a fecal occult blood test.

You make your own decisions. We are not qualified doctors here. So, take what others say with a pinch of salt. That includes me!

Cheers!