Colon Cancer Stages
Once the
cancer is found in your colon, it is important for your doctor to known its stage to determine the appropriate
treatment. Your chances of recovery are closely related to the stage of tumor at the diagnosis. The therapeutic
strategy is also adapted to each stage of the cancer.
In general, stages of colon
cancer include:
- Carcinoma in situ – also called stage 0, carcinoma in situ is the earliest
stage of the cancer; the tumor has not grown beyond the inner layer of the colon.
- Stage I
– the cancer
has grown within the inner layer of the
colon without reaching the colon wall or rectum
- Stage II
– at stage 2, the
cancer has affected the inner
layer and the wall of the colon, but has not spread to nearby lymph nodes.
- Stage III
– a stage 3 colon cancer
is serious condition; the cancer has affected the inner layer, the wall of the colon, nearby lymph
nodes, but has not reached other parts of the body;
- Stage IV -
at stage 4, the cancer has
spread from the colon tissue to distant organs of your body such as liver and/or lungs.
- Recurrent – a cancer that has returned after treatment is
considered as a recurrent cancer. In general, recurrent cancers are more difficult to be treated, and have
low survival rates.
Diagnosis
Treatment
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