Understanding Colon Cancer
- For Colon Cancer Awareness Month, SurvivorNet is here to share the story of beloved actress Elizabeth Montgomery, who passed away from stage 4 colon cancer after ignoring her symptoms until it was too late.
- Colon cancer starts when abnormal lumps called polyps grow in the colon or rectum. If you don't have these polyps removed, they can sometimes turn into cancer.
- Stage 4, or metastatic, colon cancer is when the tumor has spread outside the colon. This is often managed with chemotherapy alone or, in select cases, a combination of chemotherapy and surgery depending on the patient, tumor properties and where the metastases are located.
Montgomery's death was quick. In April 1995, one month prior to her death, she had surgery to remove a "small malignant tumor." She had been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer just two months prior.
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Her first husband was New York socialite Frederick Gallatin Cammann. Then Montgomery married actor Gig Young. (Young had a tragic ending when he shot and killed his fifth wife, Kim Schmidt, in 1978 before turning the gun on himself.) Montgomery was married four times.
Understanding Colon Cancer
Colorectal cancer affects your large intestine (colon) or the end of your intestine (rectum).
The cancer starts when abnormal lumps called polyps grow in the colon or rectum. If you don't have these polyps removed, they can sometimes turn into cancer. It takes up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become full-blown cancer, so if you get the recommended screenings, then your doctor will have time to remove any polyps that form before they can cause problems.
Understanding Your Options With Stage 4 Colon Cancer
SurvivorNet experts recommend that people at average risk of colon cancer start regular screening at age 45.
Stages one through three colon cancers are cancers that haven't spread far from the colon. Because of this, there's the potential for a cure with surgical resection.
However, advanced stages of colon cancer (stage 4 what Elizabeth Montgomery had) aren't always curable. But because there are so many treatment options available, the disease can often be managed.
There have been major advancements in colon cancer treatment in recent years something Montgomery didn't have available to her. And we've collaborated with specialists around the country to get the key information about these new treatment options, and to explain when they can be used.
Treating Stage 4 Colon Cancer: Treatment Advancements Elizabeth Montgomery Didn't Have
Stage 4 colon cancer, or metastatic colon cancer, is when the tumor has spread outside the colon. This is often managed with chemotherapy alone or, in select cases, a combination of chemotherapy and surgery depending on the patient, tumor properties and where the metastases are located.
In some cases, it is not possible to surgically remove all of these tumors. In that case, the primary goal of treatment is to manage the cancer or, in other words, to prevent the cancer from growing, spreading and causing symptoms.
A combination of patient factors and tumor properties determine which chemotherapy will be used to treat metastatic colon cancer.
In terms of patient factors, the doctor will take into consideration things like patient age and how well the patient would be able to tolerate the side effects of chemotherapy. Regarding the specifics of the tumor, the genetic mutations (for example, BRAF and KRAS are two genes that are looked at when evaluating colon cancers) and location of the primary colon tumor are taken into consideration. All of these things are evaluated together, and ultimately used to determine which chemotherapy regimen will be recommended.
Contributing: Marisa Sullivan & SurvivorNet staff reports
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