Stage IV Colorectal Cancer

Staging of a colorectal cancer gives you an estimate of the extent of penetration of the cancer inside the body. Thereare primarily five colorectal cancer stages (0-4). Stage IV colorectal cancer is the most difficult to treat, but it is not impossible to cure. This stage is also known as Duke's D colon cancer.

Usually, during this stage, the cancer has already spread to the lymph nodes along with other body parts such as lungs and liver. The colon is made with five different layers and the tumor is entrapped within these layers. These are the layers known as mucosa, two thick layers of submucosa, which is followed by serosa. Hence, the tumor has generally traveled across many of these layers in this advanced stage of colon cancer.

Furthermore, when it comes to treatment of advanced stages of colorectal cancer, there are many treatments that are available. However, surgery is a good treatment option for the initial stages. But for the stage IV it only helps to relive or prevent complications. So, one cannot depend upon surgery treatment to cure patient in an advanced cancer stage. A surgery only restricts the spread of cancer till the point where it is treatable by surgery.

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy for colorectal cancer are the two alternative treatments that help to curefinal colon cancer stage. In case even in the final stage, the cancer has spread only to the liver, you can then use regional chemotherapy inside the artery which is connected with the liver.

Also, a combination of targeted therapy and chemotherapy drugs along with Erbitux and Avastin has been really effective in the treatment of cancer at this stage. Doctors may use multiple treatment methods as discussed above to cure the patient.

Hence, even if the patient has reached the stage IV colorectal cancer, the key to survival is not to give up. You must keep trying. After all there is still a ray of hope.