Course without treatment
Colorectal cancer is – like most other cancers – a tumor disease that is fatal without treatment. However, the speed at which the tumour progresses varies greatly. If there is no treatment at all, one of the biggest risks is that sooner or later the tumour growth in the intestinal lumen will lead to intestinal obstruction (ileus).
This is a clinical picture that can often be fatal within a few hours if left untreated. Untreated colorectal cancer can also lead to metastasis, i.e. the spread of tumor cells from the intestine to the entire body. It is not possible to say in general how long life expectancy is for colorectal cancer that is not treated. This varies greatly between individuals and depends on a number of different factors.
Evidence of terminal damage
The terminal stage of colorectal cancer is not characterized by symptoms that are specific to this stage only. Numerous symptoms can occur in advanced colorectal cancer. These include blood in the stool, severe abdominal pain, intestinal obstruction, significant weight loss and increasing paleness due to bleeding in the tumour area.
In addition, the metastases can cause symptoms in the case of metastasis. These depend on the location. However, all the above-mentioned symptoms can occur in earlier tumour stages and are not a specific sign of a particular stage of colon cancer.
