Cancer Diary: 5 Months or 5 Years? The Importance of Recognizing Early Signs
Colorectal cancer has a life expectancy of 4-6 months if discovered in stage 4. If discovered in stage 1-2, life expectancy is 5 years. (Note: Carl's Cancer Compendium provides longevity statistics for a wide range of cancers.)
So many people die from colon cancer and colorectal cancer after brief periods of chemotherapy, if that, a imperative exists for watching for early signs of cancer is not heeded (or in some cases, they are simply missed or misinterpreted). I speak from personal experience because although Carl died from cancer of unknown primary (CUP), his oncologist was convinced that the original cancer was gastro-intestinal in nature although the colon was clear of the cancer by the time the cancer had reached stage 4 (which can happen in cases of CUP).
So, assuming the oncologist was right about the original cancer, did Carl actually survive the 5 years without knowing it? Discovery at late stage does not mean the cancer arrived late stage -- it may have taken months and years to grow. Carl found out he was at advanced stage 4 a mere five months before he died, but what could have or should have been noticed as much as five years earlier that might have allowed long-term remission?
Carl made a bad choice about that amount of time earlier. He failed to get a recommended colonoscopy (recommended based only on age). He assumed because he felt fine he really was fine. He may have had signs that were missed/unnoticed or misinterpreted that would have shown up in a colonoscopy. I am joining the chorus of those who say, "Get the colonoscopy even if you feel fine."
I learned that lesson that Carl refused to take to heart. My first colonoscopy was fine, but a home test kit seven years later (recommended interval between colonoscopies is ten years, so other means of paying attention are equally important) gave troubling results, and an earlier-than-planned colonoscopy was done and two polyps found, one of them pre-cancerous. No telling what it might have turned into while waiting those additional three years (maybe nothing, maybe more pre-cancerous polyps, and maybe full-blown cancer). At least, that is one cancer I do not have to worry about for now because the doctor removed that pesky little nemesis.
Indeed, colonoscopies should be in the plans of everyone, no matter how healthy they feel or look or act.
Read more about Cancer Diary posts HERE.
Blog editor's note: As a memorial to Carl, and simply because it is truly needed, MSI Press is now hosting a web page, Carl's Cancer Compendium, as a one-stop starting point for all things cancer, to make it easier for those with cancer to find answers to questions that can otherwise take hours to track down on the Internet and/or from professionals. The web page is in its infancy but expected to expand into robustness. To that end, it is expanded and updated weekly. As part of this effort, each week, on Monday, this blog will carry an informative, cancer-related story -- and be open to guest posts: Cancer Diary.
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