Emotional Support/Help

Hi. I am relatively new to the topic of colon cancer but recently one of my close friends was diagnosed with it.  It has spread to his liver and am not sure if that means it is stage IV.  He had surgery and had a large tumor removed from his colon and will be starting chemo to attack his liver when he is fully recovered.  I know every case of cancer is different but the doctors say he will be fine.  Is this true or are they just trying to have a positive outlook on everything?  I am very cluelesss and new to this so any advice would be great. Thanks.

Yes it would be stage IV if it has spread to a distant site such as the liver. It is not uncommon to have the primary tumor removed by surgery and then attack the liver metastases with chemotherapy.  Sometimes the liver metastases will regress from the chemo and sometimes not but a positive attitude is essential.  As a friend your support will be a real asset to him. Hang in there -- friends are woth their weight in gold!!!!!!

As a Stage IV colon cancer that spread to the liver survivor, I can attest to the fact that it can still be cured.  When you look at the statistics, they can look daunting.  But remember, they didn't have the cool chemo drugs they have now.  The survival rates are higher and will climb higher as more people use the new drugs. 

I was diagnosed in 7 of 2004 and have not had any evidence of disease since 9 of 04. 

Hang in there and let us know how we can help.

There is a wonderful web blog that will give you some insight into what your friend is going through.  It is on national public radio.  www.npr.org/MyCancer.  Give it a try