From a Stage IV survivor who was diagnosed in July of 2004. I was originally told that I had 6 to 9 months to live with treatment, but that I could die at any moment.
I then did a lot of research and went to the right hospital for me.
I have been without disease since September of '04. I stopped all chemo and any treatment in June of '05.
1) what are his treatment options? (types of chemo, new treatments, clinical trials, alternative, etc)
They are all different and you will be given options. I chose to sign up for a Stage II clinical trial. Most the people on the trial are doing quite well.
2) what is a cancer fighting diet and lifestyle he can do?
Before you change anything, talk to your doctor. My docs, including a nutritionist, all said that my blood was good. So I wasn't to change my diet with a few exceptions. I needed to eat a lot of red meat and protein after my liver resection. This would help my liver regrow. I was in the hospital, and every day for breakfast I got two eggs, two bacon and two sausage. I asked my docs if I should worry about my cholesterol. They told me I could worry about my cholesterol later. My cholesterol stayed normal. My liver is 95% of it's original size. My docs warn me to make sure I tell other docs that I've had this surgery, because it's not easy to tell on my CT.
Also, I wasn't eating enough fat. Before the residents injected me with fat, the nurses stepped in and rolled their eyes at the docs. I guess docs want to fix everything by putting it into your IV. The nurses all got together and bought me a chocolate cake. I wasn't hungry for it, so it sat for half a day (and warnings from the docs that would inject me with fat) if I didn't start eating it.
I was told that now was the time to eat a lot of junk food, because I didn't want my body to fight starvation and the cancer.
I did give up coca-cola. However, none of the nausea meds worked. Coca-cola was the only thing that did the trick. My docs were right, I shouldn't have changed my diet.
I'm half Japanese and I used to drink a ton of green tea, and hardly ate any red meat. I joined the military and was in great shape. I'm a girl and I ran 2 miles in less than 14 minutes, I did 68 push-ups in 2 minutes and did 84 sit ups in 2 minutes.
So, I agreed with my docs, that if they could have cured colon cancer with diet and exercise, they would have done it a long time ago. People like me, it's just bad luck that I get it. I know some people who are obese and eat horrible food, and they've lived well into their 80's and 90's.
However, that doesn't mean you should eat this diet. Check with your docs, see what they say. When you go through this journey, again, you will find that different things work for different people. We can let you know what worked for us.
3) what should i do to make sure i dont have it (im 19 but i have been feeling crappy for a few months)
Get genetically tested, then you'll know if you carry the gene. Or, you could get colonoscopies 10 years from when the person was diagnosed, unless it's stage IV. It takes ten years for a polyp to develop into colon cancer. Colon cancer is slow growing. So I was diagnosed with Stage IV when I was 43. Docs guessed it started when I was 16.
4) and anything else anyone thinks i should know to help
If your docs give you no hope, go someplace else.
Come here and ask any question you may have.
Remember, we are not docs, but we can give you options to go back and ask your doc.