How many years can one survive with colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is a common malignant tumor of the digestive tract that occurs in the large intestine. It is prone to occur at the junction of the large intestine and the sigmoid colon. The highest incidence rate is in the 40-50 age group, with a male-female ratio of 2-3:1. The incidence rate ranks third among gastrointestinal tumors. Colorectal cancer is mainly adenocarcinoma, mucinous adenocarcinoma, and undifferentiated carcinoma. The gross morphology is polyp-like, ulcerative, etc. Colorectal cancer can develop in a circular manner along the intestinal wall, spread up and down along the longitudinal diameter of the intestine, or infiltrate into the deep layer of the intestinal wall. In addition to metastasis through lymphatic vessels and blood flow and local invasion, it can also be implanted in the abdominal cavity or spread and metastasize along sutures and incision surfaces. Patients with chronic colitis, colorectal polyps, and obese men are susceptible populations.

How long can you live with colorectal cancer?

How long can a person live with colorectal cancer? Experts say that it varies from person to person. Having colorectal cancer does not mean death. As long as it can be detected early and effective and reasonable treatment plans are taken, cancer can be effectively controlled. Colorectal cancer patients should treat the disease with a good attitude and receive regular treatment as soon as possible. Only in this way can colorectal cancer be treated to the greatest extent possible, thereby prolonging the patient's survival and improving the patient's quality of life.

1. Early or late detection: This factor is very important for how long a colorectal cancer patient can live. People know that the earlier the disease is treated, the better the effect. If colorectal cancer can be detected and treated in time, it will be very beneficial to prolong the patient's survival time.

2. Whether the cancer has metastasized: Whether the cancer has metastasized is very important for the treatment of colorectal cancer patients. If the patient has metastasis, it will not only increase the difficulty of treatment, but also shorten the patient's survival time. This is because metastasis indicates that the disease is already very serious. If the patient does not receive treatment at this time, his survival period will be very short.

3. Patient psychology: The patient's psychological state is also very important for prolonging survival time. Only by maintaining a good psychological state can one actively cooperate with the doctor's diagnosis and treatment after falling ill. If one only complains about himself after falling ill and does not actively accept treatment, this will not only be detrimental to the treatment of the disease, but may also accelerate death due to depression.

4. Treatment method: The treatment method is crucial to prolong the survival time of colorectal cancer patients. A scientific, reasonable and suitable treatment method for the patient's own condition can not only effectively prolong the patient's survival time, but also relieve the patient's pain and improve the quality of life. On the contrary, a bad treatment method not only cannot effectively relieve the pain, but may also aggravate the patient's condition and shorten the survival time.

Nowadays, medical technology is becoming more and more mature, and there are more and more methods to treat colorectal cancer. The survival rate of colorectal cancer has increased significantly. Most patients are trapped by the disease and have negative emotions, which to a certain extent affects the enthusiasm and efficacy of treatment. Therefore, people around should comfort and encourage patients so that they can actively carry out treatment, which can effectively prolong the survival rate of colorectal cancer.

So what are the treatments for colorectal cancer? Let’s take a look at the treatments for colorectal cancer.

Treatment options for colorectal cancer

The treatment of colorectal cancer is a comprehensive program that mainly uses surgery, supplemented by chemotherapy, immunotherapy, Chinese medicine and other supportive treatments to increase the surgical resection rate, reduce the recurrence rate, and improve the survival rate. The principles of treatment: Try to cure it radically, protect the pelvic autonomic nerves, preserve sexual function, urination function and defecation function, and improve the quality of life.

1. Surgical treatment

(1) Right hemicolectomy is suitable for cancers of the cecum, ascending colon, and hepatic flexure of the large intestine.

(2) Left hemicolectomy is suitable for cancers of the descending colon and the splenic flexure of the large intestine.

(3) Transverse colectomy is suitable for transverse colon cancer.

(4) In addition to resection of the sigmoid colon, patients with sigmoid colon cancer should also undergo descending colon resection or partial colon resection.

(5) For patients with intestinal obstruction, if the patient's condition permits, a primary resection and anastomosis can be performed. If the patient's condition is poor, a colonostomy can be performed first, and a secondary radical resection can be performed after the condition improves.

(6) Principles of surgery when radical surgery is not possible: when the tumor has infiltrated extensively, or is fixed to surrounding tissues and organs and cannot be removed, or the intestinal tract is already obstructed or may be obstructed, a short-circuit surgery or a large colostomy can be performed. If the tumor has metastasized to distant organs and local tumors can still be removed, local palliative resection can be used to relieve symptoms such as obstruction, chronic blood loss, infection and poisoning.

2. Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy for patients whose tumors cannot be removed can alleviate symptoms and control tumor growth, but the effect is poor and short-lived. If the patient is in poor general condition, the side effects are significant and the condition is aggravated. It is not suitable for use. Patients who have undergone surgery generally undergo chemotherapy for one year, and 2 to 3 courses of treatment can be used within one and a half years.

3. Immunotherapy

It can improve the patient's anti-tumor ability. It has developed rapidly in recent years. Interferon, interleukin, transfer factor, tumor necrosis factor, etc. have been gradually and widely used. They can not only improve the patient's immune ability, but also cooperate with chemotherapy.

4. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment

It can improve symptoms, enhance the body's disease resistance, and reduce the side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Some Chinese medicines have strong anti-cancer effects, such as Oldenlandia diffusa, Scutellaria barbata, Trichosanthes kirilowii, Solanum nigrum, etc. Ganoderma lucidum preparations can significantly improve the patient's immune function. When taking medicine, you can take both syndrome differentiation and disease differentiation into consideration, and add medicines that clear away heat and detoxify, promote blood circulation, nourish yin and blood, remove phlegm and dissipate bloating, and regulate the spleen and stomach.

In addition to actively cooperating with treatment, what else should colorectal cancer patients pay attention to in their daily lives? Let's take a look at the prevention methods of colorectal cancer.

How to prevent colorectal cancer

1. Pay attention to eating habits. Arrange your daily diet reasonably, eat more fresh fruits, vegetables and other foods rich in carbohydrates and crude fiber, appropriately increase the proportion of coarse grains and whole grains in the staple food, and avoid eating too fine or too refined food. Change the habit of eating meat and high-protein food as the staple food. Eat less high-fat food, especially control the intake of animal fat.

2. Prevent and treat intestinal diseases. Such as various polyps, chronic enteritis, schistosomiasis, chronic dysentery, etc. Intestinal polyps should be treated early. There are five major types of colon polyps, among which adenomatous polyps are true tumor polyps and a precancerous lesion of colon cancer. Therefore, when adenoma is found in the colon, it should be treated. If not treated early, most of them will turn into colon cancer, and the prognosis is poor.

3. Actively treat habitual constipation and keep bowel movements smooth. Avoid feces staying in the large intestine for too long, which increases the absorption of carcinogens.

4. People at high risk of colorectal cancer, such as men over 40 years old, patients with familial multiple intestinal polyps, patients with ulcerative colitis, patients with chronic schistosomiasis and those with a family history of colorectal cancer should have regular check-ups and be alert to the signs and early symptoms of colorectal cancer, such as changes in bowel habits, diarrhea, blood in the stool, etc.