Cancer treatment is usually prescribed based on the stage of the cancer's development when it is diagnosed. While early stage cancer diagnoses can mean easier, less invasive treatments, later stages can get more complicated. Such is the case with Stage III cancer, when the tumors and symptoms have become very noticeable.
Early Stages
Early stages of cancer mostly indicate the start of cancer, sometimes before it is even symptomatic. Stage 0 indicates the presence of cancer cells in most forms of cancer, while stage I is usually a small, localized tumor. Stage III may show a decent-sized tumor that is still local but significant enough to cause some symptoms. In melanoma, for example, Stage II tumors are between 1 and 4 mm thick.
Stage III
For most cancers, Stage III indicates a significantly sized tumor (or tumors) that have a marked effect on surrounding tissues. Nearby lymph nodes, which contain the immune system's fluids and white blood cells, are also affected. In Stage IIIA lung cancer, the tumors inflame the lymph nodes to bigger than 7 cm. Tumors are also often located in critical areas like the near the heart or airway. Stage IIIB means that the cancer has spread to the opposite lung of the originating tumor.
Symptoms
Symptoms will differ depending on the location of the tumor at Stage III. Generally speaking, weakness is associated with this stage because the lymph nodes closest to the affected area are infected. There could also be considerable pressure pain due to the increased tumor size. In Stage III lung cancer, tumors might press up against the chest wall or a major nerve, causing numbness or paralysis around the neck area. In colon cancer, symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea may be present, as well as thin stool due to the tumor obstructing the digestive path.
Treatment
Chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment are often associated with Stage III cancer. Those treatments are effective with Stage III since the cancer cells have often gone beyond the local area. Both treatments try to eliminate or reduce tumor sizes. Chemotherapy involves putting synthetic chemicals into the body that target the cancer cells' DNA, giving it instructions to die. Radiation therapy uses concentrated radiation beams or fragments to shrink the cancers without affecting surrounding tissue.
Prognosis
Survival rates are largely dependent on what type of cancer is diagnosed. The five-year survival rate for Stage III colon cancer is 64 percent, according to OncologyChannel.com. For cervical cancer, the average survival rate is 70 percent. Pancreatic cancer, however, has a lower survival rate because many times it is diagnosed at stage III or IV; the five-year rate is four percent.
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