Like most other cancers, colorectal cancer has clinical and surgical stages set by the American Joint Committee On Cancer. These stages outline and determine how serious the cancer is and how best to treat it, making the identification and understanding of the stages of colon cancer helpful not only for physicians, but also for patients.
A diagnosis is made by conducting various tests and performing a biopsy. Then Surgical Consultants of Northern Virginia will look at the cancerous tissue from the colon or the rectum giving them the following important information:
It helps them decide on the stage of the cancerIn general, staging sets the definitions for how much cancer is in the body and whether or not it has spread to other areas.
There are two types of staging: clinical and surgical. Clinical staging is the combination of information collected from all the tests performed. Surgical (or pathological) staging is a result of surgery and is much more accurate than clinical staging.
For colorectal cancer staging, there are three key elements that determine the stage:
There are five stages of colorectal cancer from 0 to 4. The higher numbers and letters indicates a more advanced stage.
Indicates a very early treatable cancer which has not moved beyond the inner layer or mucosa of the colon or rectum.
In stage 1 the cancer has grown into the submucosa layer and maybe into the muscle beneath it. At this stage it has not yet spread to the patient’s lymph nodes or other systems of the body.
At this stage, the individual’s colon cancer has grown into the wall of the colon or rectum, but has not progressed all the way through the wall. It has also not spread beyond the area.
The cancer is through the wall of the colon or rectum, but not into nearby tissue or any organs. It has not yet spread to lymph nodes or other regions of the body.
The cancer has advanced beyond the wall of the rectum or colon and has attached to nearby tissue or other organs. It still has not spread into nearby lymph nodes or anywhere else.
In this stage, a patient’s colon cancer has grown into the submucosa and muscle of the colon or rectum. It has also managed to spread to 1-3 lymph nodes or into the fatty tissues near the lymph nodes, but the cancer has not extended to more distant areas of the large intestine.
Once colon cancer reaches stage 3B, it has grown into the wall of the colon or rectum or through the inner lining of the abdomen called the peritoneum, but has still not attached itself to any other organs. However, in this stage it is possible for the cancer to spread to 1-3 lymph nodes, or areas of fat around lymph nodes.
An individual in this stage has colon cancer that extends through the wall of the colon or rectum, the tissues that line these sections of the digestive tract, but not any nearby organs. This stage also indicates that the cancer has now affected up to 4-6 lymph nodes.
If a patient reaches the 4th level of colon cancer staging it means that the cancer has now spread to one other organ, such as the liver or lungs.
Individuals in stage 4B suffer from colon cancer that has metastasized to reach more than one organ.
The most severe stage of colon cancer, stage 4C sites cases where the cancer cells have managed to reach distant parts of the peritoneum.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, speak to Surgical Consultants of Northern Virginia about the prognosis of your stage to determine which type of treatment holds the best possible outlook.
If you have any further questions, please call (571) 512-5300 today!
