What Are the Chances of Survival With Colon & Liver Cancer?

Colon and liver cancer are two independently different cancers, yet they become connected when metastasis occurs. When colon cancer spreads to the liver, the disease is known as metastatic colon cancer instead of liver cancer.

Liver Cancer

Stand-alone liver cancer is strictly within the liver. It is not metastasized from another organ. The five-year survival chances for localized liver cancer is 21 percent, according to the American Cancer Society.

Colon Cancer

Colon cancer alone will be diagnosed in one out of every 19 Americans, according to MD Anderson Cancer Center. Survival for early diagnosis and intervention is almost a 90 percent cure.

Metastatic Results

When colon cancer spreads to the liver, the involvement of the colon and the liver reduce the chances of survival. Surgical removal of the liver metastases is the only possibility for survival, according to the National Cancer Institute. A five-year survival rate is found in about 25 percent of those having surgery to remove the cancer in the liver.

Considerations

According to the Liver Cancer Network, the liver will regenerate following surgical removal of the tumor. There must be healthy blood vessels available for this to be an option.

Potential

Multiple tumors in the liver may eliminate the option for liver resection due to metastatic colon cancer.

References

• American Cancer Society:Liver Cancer Survival
• MD Anderson Cancer Center:Colon Cancer Survival
• National Cancer Institute:Colon and Liver

Resources

• Liver Cancer Network