In colorectal cancer, is the size of the tumor the most important factor in predicting the long range outcome for the patient?
Unlike other cancers, such as lung and breast cancer, the size of the tumor has little to do with the long range prognosis (predicted outcome) in colorectal cancer. What really matters is how deeply the tumor has invaded the wall of the bowel. A small tumor that has penetrated through the bowel wall is more serious than a larger tumor that has not penetrated the bowel wall.
