Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 7/11/2006

Question
My father went to get a screen for colon cancer, and it turns out there's a "sizable" tumor in his rectum.  I'm NOT SURE, but the cancer might have spread elsewhere in the body?  My father won't be sure until he gets his CAT scan on Thursday.

The doctor will most likely use radiation therapy to get rid of the tumors.  Nothing is definite yet, as to whether he'll have surgery.  But at this stage, what are the survival rates?  I know everyone is different.  I'm very worried, because my mom just died this year of ovarian cancer, and the doctors caught it VERY LATE because she has no symptoms until her stomach really expanded with ascites.

My father's been complaining of constant gas, and he's had bleedin the rectum.  He thought it was a hemorroid. I'm not sure how long the bleeding's been going on for.  He only told my brother and I this morning he's been bleeding.  Not excessively, though, but that still sounds serious enough to me.

I just want to know the possible outlook for this disease.  Can you give me a guess?  I'm a wreck right now, and I can't seem to get a clear answer from the internet.  Of course, I'll know more in a couple of days.

Thank you for your time.

Answer
Any rectal bleeding or blood in the stools is cause for a check up by a dr. You can NEVER assume that it is just a hemorrhoid. Apart from cancer there are other serious diseases (Crohn's disease & Ulcerative Colitis to name just 2) where one of the major symptoms is blood in the stools. I'm sorry for the situation of your father and of you! However without knowing more (tumour size, its exact location, its stage and its pathology among others) it is unfortunately impossible for me at this stage to give you any good evaluation of his chances. Preoperative radiation therapy is today routine with rectal cancers in order to improve the therapy results. How well the tumour is suited for surgery depends on size, location & stage, of which I right now know nothing. Please do keep me posted when you do know more!