Third stage colon cancer survival rate

I can't speak for Stage 3, but my Mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 in Oct, 2005. The doctors did not give her a "survival rate" and told her that they do not like to do that because it makes people give up.

At any rate, my mother had a rough year with having a colostomy, then having it reversed and getting an infection at the surgical site. She had taken chemo for about 18 months before they did surgery to reverse the colostomy. She has not been able to take chemo since Feb due to the surgery, however, they just recently did her cancer tests and cannot find any existing tumors on the x-rays. Her cancer marker is also below 2 so we are quite optimistic.

Good luck! Just wanted to share our "good" news so that you know there is hope. :)

Cancer that has spread outside the colon and on to the lymph nodes in the area surrounding the colon is known as Stage III. In this stage, the cancer has not spread to other organs in the body, and treatment is more aggressive. Surgical resection of the colon, chemotherapy, and other medical therapies may be necessary. The five-year survival rate is 35 to 60 percent.

Sounds like very good odds to me