Prostate Cancer Blog

Posts Tagged ‘stage’

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 dad was just diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. I’ve done some research and read a few answers here on yahoo. Everyone is saying that this is "a death sentence". I was wondering if anyone knows how long the average life expectancy is of someone with stage four colon cancer…it has spread to the liver and lungs as well.

I dont like putting a date on these kinds of situations, but unfortunately this type of Cancer can be particularly savage and can be quite swift, in as far as some as the cases i have seen and been involved with, (i am a community care worker) Some i have been involved with, can hold on for 3 or 4 years if they are quite healthy, if not they can go as quickly as 6 months from diagnosis…….I apologize for being the bearer of bad news, but the best you can do for your dad is to be there for him, allow him that time to greive, the greiving process is goind to take him through some pretty strong emotions, so you are really going to need to be there for him during this stage, even if you are dealing with your own issues in regards to grief….. and to be close to all of his family, hold his hand when he wants to, and just let him know you love him……other than that i can offer some website that will also give you some pointers as to how to deal with this issue.

They are…….Paliative care explained…involves grief processes and how to deal with death…..

http://www.disability.vic.gov.au/dsonline/dsarticles.nsf/(Pages)/Palliative_care_explained?OpenDocument

Grief and bereavement

http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/179_06_150903/mad10520_fm.html

This isn’t a typically symptom of prostate cancer. You will need to speak to your oncologist.

Amplified ED problems make life not worth living

Hi, i think the first reply to your question is cruel, as cancer is frightening for everyone regardless of the stage of diagnosis.

The fact that the stage is early hopefully means the treatment wont be too invasive. Give yourself time and do the things in life you would usually enjoy. depression and anxiety can become habitual so try and force yourself to think positively. Not easy i know but making myself think positive thoughts has helped me to overcome depression.

Hope you find the support and help you need.

A relative of mine has stage 3 colon cancer. I don’t know the details, but could somebody tell me when colon cancer becomes fatal and what this person can likely expect to happen in the future?

At stage 3, colon cancer does not have to be fatal. Surgery can be done where that part of the colon is removed and all surrounding colon that harbor the cancer cells. The bad side of this is a colostomy bag. The patient will more than likely have to wear one. The good side to this is they can live a long life with colostomy bags. So think positive because everyone is different and can tolerate illness differently than others. Just remember, 3rd stage does not have be a death sentence. If my sister can live through 4th stage ovarian cancer, so can your relative. There are never any guarantees and No one can give you one. Just pray and trust all is in God’s hands.

Sometimes it never does. Typically the older you are (60′s, 70′s), the less aggressive Prostate cancer is. For those who advance, the time frame between stages varies soooo much. It depends on if the patient is faithful with all follow ups, post diagnosis. Any unusual symptoms should always be reported to your oncologist, no matter how slight the symptom may be. Always try to stay a step ahead and be proactive in your care. Bloodwork, scans, etc should never be missed.

my dad has stage four colon cancer and was diagnosed in mid december. its spread to his liver and lungs and part of his stomach. he also has luekemia. what is the longest he could live with certain treatments?

No one can give you an estimate time on your dad’s life. Every individual is different and every persons body reacts differently. In the meantime it would be good for your dad to try and keep his nutrition healthy and he might even try anti-oxidants to help slow down the process of the cancer spreading. Anti- oxidants bind with free radicals and definetly helps to slow down the process. Your dad’s condition is serious and advanced. Prepare yourself and accept the fact that he has this disease and ensure spending lots of time with him.Prevention is always better than cure

I have an inlaw that underwent a recurring surgery to have his colon removed. His cancer has spreaded to his liver.

"Panda" is the top answerer in this category, but I have to
disagree with her statement that "stage IV disease . . . means that it will be more difficult to treat and take longer than a stage 1 .. that’s all." Colon cancer metastatic to the liver is not likely to be cured in any medical center.

Chemotherapy is usually given to buy some time – often in terms of extra months rather than many years. The chemotherapy given for colon carcinoma is usually better tolerated than more aggressive regimens used for other types of cancer.

I have had some patients tolerate 5FU based chemo regimens well enough to work if they wanted to – usually they did not. Often it is the advancing malignancy in the liver that leads to weakness and weight loss plus lack of energy and decreased activity level.

Added note re: Lola’s answer (which is otherwise fine) – I’ve never heard a stage "five" cancer. Stage four means the cancer has spread to distant areas – such as the liver in this case. There is no stage beyond stage four.
And stage does refer to the malignant disease – not to the treatment – though the treatment is tailored to the stage of the disease. These are small points.

What you want to know is that the treatment is usually not very rough. If your family member is in good shape, he may have some good quality time left. If there is truly significant liver involvement, many years of survival would be unusual.

Survival does vary with the level of involvement. The National Cancer Institute indicates that people with three or fewer lesions in the liver can do better.for longer periods — perhaps 25% survival at five years compared to less than 5% survival at five years for more extensive liver involvement

Correcting myself – Lola is correct. If you count stage 0, there are five stages – - but stage four is the last stage.

Also – of course no doctor is God and no one can say when someone will die. We can only provide information about the usual outcomes based on previous people. I did not use the word "terminal" in my cancer specialty medicine practice. All of us are terminal. There are always people who do better than average.

My best friend has stage 4 colon cancer. She’s only 24 years old. She told me that they are going to start radiation, what does that mean? I read about how they do it, but how bad does it have to be before they do radiation?

Just as the poster before me, they do radiation even for Stage 2 cancers. I have to get radiation for Stage 3B Breast Cancer I was officially diagnosed as cancer free but I have still have to go thrut he radiation as a safety measure. All Stage 4 cancer is bad but that does not mean that she can’t beat it–people beat statistics all the time. Keep a positive attitude and my thoughts and prayers are with you and her and the family during this difficult time.

My dad just told me he has 2nd stage prostate cancer and is 82 yrs old in good shape, race walks every day. He adv he will start radiation treatment tomorrow for 5 days a wk for 9 wks and will rcv hormone shots.

Does anyone else out there know anyone his age who has gone through this or a good/informative website I can go to?

http://www.prostatecancerfoundation.org/

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/prostate

http://www.medicinenet.com/prostate_cancer/page9.htm

hopefully u can find good info on those website

the best of luck to u and your dad