Live Life Team
The most common ranking used to identify the different stages of colon cancer is the cancerous progression is the four-stage account, which can be confusing because there are actually five stages involved. It starts at Stage 0 and progresses to Stage 4 (sometimes written as Stage IV).
The first stage of colon cancer is Stage 0 (not 1). Stage 0 is defined by the location—cancerous growth occurs within the colon, but has not grown further than its inner layer.
The second level of cancerous development, Stage 1 (I), is diagnosed when the cancerous growth as expanded into the next layer of the colon. In this stage, the cancer is still localized and has not spread to other parts of the body. Cancer is not detectable in other organs or the lymph nodes.
In the third level, Stage 2 (II), the size of the cancerous growth has expanded from its starting point at the inner layer of the colon and has reached the outer layers. It is still localized to the colon, and no cancer is found in the lymph nodes or other organs.
The fourth level, Stage 3 (III), is when cancer has spread beyond the colon. The cancer will have grown all the way through the outer layers of the colon. If it is found in one to three lymph nodes, and may have spread to other organs in the immediate vicinity, but it has not spread throughout the body.
In the fifth and final level, Stage 4 (IV) cancer, the cancer has spread. If it originated in the colon, this is still considered colon cancer, but tumours could grow in any part of the body, not just areas adjacent to the colon. Normally, it would spread to other organs and the lymph nodes.
While this ranking system is necessarily rigid, most of the time cancer development will fall somewhere in between the stages. Cancer growth is continuous and progressive in the absence of treatment, so it’s common for it to have passed the criteria for one stage and be well on its way to the next, meaning that the diagnosis of any stage of colon cancer can differ widely in the patient’s experience.
The different stages of colon cancer are diagnosed by a specialist using a combination of blood or tissue sampling and imaging technology such as ultrasound or MRI. While a single tumour in the colon is straightforward to diagnose, identifying whether or not the cancer has spread, and to what areas, can take a little more effort.
Treatments also vary, and may include some combination of surgery to remove cancerous growths and tissue, and radiation and chemotherapy to target any remaining cancer cells that were not removed manually. Treatments may also be given to address pain and functional concerns caused by a tumour or other internal damage.
The different stages of colon cancer are what you use to communicate a condition quickly and in a recognizable way. It’s a simple way to understand the broad impact and level of damage associated with the cancer.
