When someone is discovered to have colon cancer, an important question that needs to be answered is “how much has the cancer spread by the time it was discovered”? The system that physicians have agreed upon to answer this question is by separating the amount of spread of the colon cancer into what are known as “stages”. Stages are no more than measurements of how far the cancer has spread by the time we discover it. The stages of colon cancer, from best to worst, are stage I, II, III and IV. Let’s now review the stages of colon cancer.
STAGE I. Stage I of colon cancer is a colon cancer that is discovered to only be in the lining of the colon. It has not grown very much and is still limited only to the inner lining of the intestine. A colon cancer that is found at Stage I is able to be removed with surgery. Most people who are found with Stage I colon cancer and who have surgery will be cured of their colon cancer.
STAGE II. Stage II colon cancer is a colon cancer that has grown into the wall of the colon by the time we discover it, but has not grown through the wall. Even though the colon has grown a little more than a stage I colon cancer, the cancer is still only inside the wall of the intestine. Just as in Stage I colon cancer, when a colon cancer is found at stage II, most people with stage II colon cancer who have surgery will be cured of their colon cancer. A difference between Stage II colon cancer and stage I colon cancer is that in order to cure the person, some of the patients with Stage II colon cancer will require 6 months of chemotherapy after surgery in order to be cured. By comparison, patients with Stage I colon cancer who have surgery do not need 6 months of chemotherapy following surgery.
STAGE III. Stage III colon cancer is a colon cancer that has grown through the entire wall of the intestine by the time we discover it and has spread to small structures near the intestine called the lymph nodes. Even though it has grown more than stage I or Stage II colon cancer when we find it, it is still possible to cure a person with stage III colon cancer if we remove the tumor with surgery and then give the person 6 months of chemotherapy following surgery.
STAGE IV. Stage IV colon cancer is a colon cancer that has grown so much by the time we discover it, that it has spread to other organs such as the liver or the bones or elsewhere. Unfortunately, differently than with stage I, II or III, patients who are found with Stage IV colon cancer are not able to be cured of their colon cancer. All that is possible for patients with colon cancer who are discovered with Stage IV colon cancer is to give them chemotherapy in order to try to make their time of survival with the colon cancer as comfortable as possible and in order to try to extend their lives as much as possible.
All of these concepts and more about colon cancer are covered in easy to understand language in the Colon Cancer audio CD that is available on www.CancerInPlainEnglish.com.