Stage IV Colon Cancer

After my PT appointment, I went and got my haircut by my niece, Elaina. It was great seeing Elaina. She told me some sad news.

Chris Gannon, who is married to Toula Karamanides, Cleo's youngest sister, was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. I think Chris is 43 or 44 years old.

They call colon cancer the 'silent cancer' because by the time you're diagnosed it's too late. Chris wasn't feeling well the past couple of weeks - abdominal pain. He had no other symptoms. After he was examined at the ER at Bryn Mawr, he was told he has colon cancer. Dr. Gupta, an oncologist who also took care of Cleo, told Chris his cancer has spread to other parts of his body. Dr. Gupta was honest - best case scenario - he may live 6 to 7 years.

Next Thursday Chris will go to the University of Pennsylvania and try to get into a clinical trial. His wife, Toula, has barely eaten anything in a week. From the shock of his diagnosis, Chris is in denial. I can totally relate. The shock when you are first told, 'you have cancer' is too much to process. And when you are told it's bad, Stage 4, with a 6 to 7 year survival rate, it's too much to handle.

I feel so sorry for Chris, Toula, their two sons, Toula's sisters (Anna and Dina) and Toula's parents. They lost their oldest daughter, Cleo, to Stage 4 breast cancer. How much more heartache can they possibly be expected to endure?

I hope Chris can get into a clinical trial, and I hope that once he accepts his disease he will fight hard. That's all he can do. Let's hope for the best.

Below is info I obtained from the American Cancer Society:

The 5-year survival rate refers to the percentage of patients who live at least 5 years after their cancer is diagnosed. Of course, many people live much longer than 5 years (and many are cured).

The numbers below come from the 7th edition of the AJCC staging manual published in 2010. They are based on a study of the National Cancer Institute's SEER database, looking at more than 28,000 people diagnosed with colon cancer between 1998 and 2000.

These are observed survival rates. They include people diagnosed with colon cancer who may have later died from other causes, such as heart disease. People with colon cancer tend to be older and may have other serious health conditions. Therefore, the percentage of people surviving the colon cancer itself is likely to be higher.

Stage ~ 5-year Observed Survival Rate

I ~ 74%
IIA ~ 67%
IIB ~ 59%
IIC ~ 37%
IIIA ~ 73%*
IIIB ~ 46%*
IIIC ~ 28%
IV ~ 6%

*In this study, survival was better for some stage III cancers than for some stage II cancers. The reasons for this are not clear.