Colon Cancer Staging What to Expect at Different Stages
Colon cancer staging explains the extent of damage the tumor has done in your colon and rectum. The stages also help your doctor decide on the best possible type/s of treatment because the success rate of the treatment depends on the staging of your tumor. Stages of colon tumor are from 0 to 4 and of which TNM staging is used. Visible signs of colon cancer are important indicator of the different stages.
The 5 stages are further divided into 2: early and advanced stages. Early staging include stages 0 to 2. Stages 3 and 4 are in the advanced staging.
Stage 0
The tumor is in situ or is confined to the innermost tissue of the bowel or rectum.
At this staging, the tumor does not exhibit any outward warning signs or symptoms. But precancerous polyps can be found if you undergo colonoscopy. If you notice any abnormal changes in your bowel movements, please see your doctor.
Examples of abnormal changes are if you used to move your bowels daily and now you do it either only 2 to 3 times a week -- constipation -- or 2 to 3 times a day -- diarrhea -- and this happens frequently.
Stage 1
At this staging, the tumor has now spread and has formed outside the innermost lining of the bowel walls. But it is still confined in the middle layers of the bowel. The tumor is also called Dukes A bowel tumor.
Surgery is the recommended first treatment at stages 0 to 1. 5-year survival rate for patients who undergo surgery at this staging is 95%. This means if there are 100 patients who undergo surgery, 95 of them will live after 5 years.
At this particular staging, 5 year survival rate is 75% to 80% and the tumor is known as Dukes B.
Colon cancer staging for the second stage involves Stages 2A and 2B to describe the tumor.
The difference between stages 2A and 2B is the extent of penetration.
In Stage 2A, the tumor has spread beyond the middle layers of the tissues in the walls of your bowel to nearby tissues surrounding the colon or the rectum.
In Stage 2B, the tumor has spread . . .
to the nearby organs, and/or
to the tissues that line the abdominal wall and that cover the organs in the abdomen.
Surgery is also recommended for both stages 2A and 2B.
Stage 3
At the advanced staging, 5 year survival rate is down further to 40% to 50% as lymph nodes now appear. The cancerous cell is now called Dukes C. Stage 3 is described from stages A to C.
What is the difference between stages A to C?
In Stage 3A, the tumor has spread . . .
to the middle layers of colon wall tissues, and
to 1 to 3 lymph nodes.
In Stage 3B, the malignant cell has spread . . .
to nearby tissues surrounding the rectum and the bowel,
to nearby organs and tissues covering the abdomen and its organs, and
to 1 to 3 lymph nodes.
In Stage 3C, the malignant cell has not only spread but has affected 4 or more lymph nodes.
Surgery is the main treatment for stages 3A to 3C but you have to receive chemotherapy after your surgery for 6 to 8 months.
Stage 4
At this advanced staging, the tumor is called Dukes D. Survival rate for colon cancer at stage 4 is very slim at 10% to 20%. Abdominal pains is one of the signs of advanced tumor.
The tumor has now metastasized to many of the nearby lymph nodes and to distant organs such as the liver and the lungs.
Colon cancer staging also helps you in deciding what treatment to choose. The stages are also used as basis for prognosis.
