What Happens
Cancer is the growth of abnormal cells in the body. These extra cells grow together and form masses, lumps, or tumors. In colorectal cancer, these growths usually start as harmless (benign) polyps in the large intestine (colon or rectum). Colon polyps are common and most do not cause problems. But if polyps are not detected and removed, some of them can turn into cancer.
If the cancer is allowed to continue growing, it eventually will invade and destroy nearby tissues and then spread farther. Colorectal cancer spreads first to nearby lymph nodes. From there it may spread to other parts of the body, usually to the liver. It may also spread to the lungs, bones, or brain.
Metastatic or recurrent colorectal cancer occurs when cancer cells travel, through either the bloodstream or the lymph system, to other parts of the body and continue to grow in their new location. Recurrent colorectal cancer occurs when the cancer begins to grow again months or years after treatment.
How colorectal cancer will affect your life span depends on the stage of your cancer. A cancer's stage depends on how far it has spread.
The 5-year survival rate for cancer that has spread to other parts of the body is 10%.1 The 5-year survival rate is the percentage of people who are still alive 5 years or longer after their cancer was discovered. It is important to remember that this is only an average. Everyone is different, and these numbers do not necessarily show what will happen to you.
