For a person like myself who has irritable bowel syndrome and all sorts of problems related to the digestive system, it’s not at all pleasant to talk about (or even think about) colon or colorectal cancer, but it’s the information that matters in the end, so I have to do it, especially because it appears that some people might be a bit more lucky with the treatment of colon cancer.
According to health magazine Medical News Today, there is a lower risk of recurrence or mortality for patients with stage III colon cancer who have a family history of colorectal cancer in a first-degree relative. It appears that out of the people with colorectal cancer, about 20 percent have a first-degree relative with colorectal cancer, too. Although your parent or sibling having colorectal or colon cancer doubles the risk of a person developing the disease, the influence of family history on cancer recurrence and survival is improved. So, to put it in other words: it’s a 50-50 chance you’ll have it, but if you do, you’re more likely to cure it. Here are the numbers and the detailed story:
All these were found following a study that analyzed 1087 patients with stage III colon cancer (cancer that has spread from the colon to the lymph glands but not to other parts of the body) who were taking part in a clinical trial of chemotherapy. Rates of recurrence and death were compared over a median follow-up of 5.6 years in the 195 patients (17.9%) with a family history of colorectal cancer in a first-degree relative with the 892 patients without a close relative with the disease.
Results showed that cancer recurrence or death occurred in 29% of the patients with a family history of colorectal cancer, compared to 38% of those without a first-degree relative with the condition. The risk of recurrence was 26% lower in patients with a family history of colorectal cancer, while their risk of death was 25% lower.
The reduction in risk of cancer recurrence or death associated with a family history became stronger as the number of affected first-degree relatives increased. Compared to those without a family history, patients with one affected relative had a 23% greater disease-free survival, increasing to a 51% in those with two or more affected relatives.
Of course, you should note that generally it is said that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) usually stays there and does not evolve to cancer. So put all the good ahead and try to change your life – live if healthy and try to prevent!
According to health magazine Medical News Today, there is a lower risk of recurrence or mortality for patients with stage III colon cancer who have a family history of colorectal cancer in a first-degree relative. It appears that out of the people with colorectal cancer, about 20 percent have a first-degree relative with colorectal cancer, too. Although your parent or sibling having colorectal or colon cancer doubles the risk of a person developing the disease, the influence of family history on cancer recurrence and survival is improved. So, to put it in other words: it’s a 50-50 chance you’ll have it, but if you do, you’re more likely to cure it. Here are the numbers and the detailed story:
All these were found following a study that analyzed 1087 patients with stage III colon cancer (cancer that has spread from the colon to the lymph glands but not to other parts of the body) who were taking part in a clinical trial of chemotherapy. Rates of recurrence and death were compared over a median follow-up of 5.6 years in the 195 patients (17.9%) with a family history of colorectal cancer in a first-degree relative with the 892 patients without a close relative with the disease.
Results showed that cancer recurrence or death occurred in 29% of the patients with a family history of colorectal cancer, compared to 38% of those without a first-degree relative with the condition. The risk of recurrence was 26% lower in patients with a family history of colorectal cancer, while their risk of death was 25% lower.
The reduction in risk of cancer recurrence or death associated with a family history became stronger as the number of affected first-degree relatives increased. Compared to those without a family history, patients with one affected relative had a 23% greater disease-free survival, increasing to a 51% in those with two or more affected relatives.
Of course, you should note that generally it is said that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) usually stays there and does not evolve to cancer. So put all the good ahead and try to change your life – live if healthy and try to prevent!
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