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My Colon Cancer Experiences
My name is Bernie Davis. This is my inaugural blog post about my colon cancer experience. I just had surgery to remove a tumor in my colon. A few days after the surgery, I received a pathology report of my diagnosis of colon cancer. Because the pathology report is dense with medical jargon, I decided to provide a brief excerpt from the report to explain my diagnosis.
“invasive moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma (3.1 cm) tumor invades the visceral peritoneum, positive for lymphovascular and perineurial invasion, resection margins negative for adenocarcinoma, metastatic adenocarcinoma involving seven of twenty-four lymph nodes, pathologic stage pT4a pN2b one tumor deposit”
Diagnosis of Stage 3C Colon Cancer
✅ Summary in plain terms:
The report describes a 3.1 cm adenocarcinoma that has grown all the way through the intestinal wall to the abdominal lining, shows signs of spreading through blood vessels, lymph channels, and nerves, and has spread to 7 of 24 lymph nodes plus one additional tumor deposit. Fortunately, the surgeon removed it completely with negative margins. The official pathologic stage is pT4a pN2b (Stage IIIc).
Overall survival and recurrence statistics for Stage IIIC
- In older studies, when Stage III is subdivided by both T and N, Stage IIIC is the worst prognostic subgroup within Stage III. One classic analysis (ERCRC) estimated 5-year survival for Stage IIIC to be around 30 %(versus ~80 % for IIIA, ~60 % for IIIB) in patients treated with surgery alone. ACS Journals
- More recent population-level data suggest somewhat more favorable outcomes in the modern era, with intensification of therapy and better supportive care. PMC+1
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For example, the SEER “regional disease” category (which includes Stage III) reports a 5-year relative survival of ~73 %. American Cancer Society
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However, that “regional” group pools all Stage II and III—so the survival specifically for Stage IIIC is lower than the average for “regional” disease.
So, in a patient with Stage IIIC colon cancer and good margins, one might approximate a 5-year overall survival in the ballpark of 40-60 % (this is a rough, optimistic estimate in a favorable scenario). In more aggressive disease or with less optimal patient factors, it may be lower.
As you can see and hear from the video and diagnosis, I have been diagnosed with stage 3C colon cancer. I am at the point that I’m struggling with questions, emotions, etc. I’m pretty sure that I am going to have adjuvant chemotherapy, though I’m not sure what regimens, how long, etc. I have more research to do.
The key issues that I’m focusing on at the beginning of my colon cancer experience are:
I have family and friends who can provide information and support during my cancer journey, so I’ve decided to blog about my cancer experiences- the good, the bad, and the ugly- both conventional and non-conventional therapies- in an effort to educate future colon cancer patients.
Feel free to ask me questions that you have about colon cancer.
- Bernie Davis
- Colon Cancer Survivor
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