Medical experts do the staging of cancer to determine how far it has spread in the body. Naturally, when the disease is in its higher or advanced stages, the chances of survival are mostly low. But it is not always the tumor size that determines the cancer stage. Several other factors are also involved. Staging enables doctors to decide the line of treatment. Here, we take a look at the different stages of colon cancer.

1. Stage 0
At stage 0, the disease is still in its early stages. It is known as intramucosal carcinoma or carcinoma in situ. Cancer has not extended beyond the rectum or the colon’s innermost layer (mucosa).

2. Stage I
The cancer spreads deeper into the colon’s lining in this stage but not beyond the lymph nodes or colon. Patients generally need surgery at this point. The surgeon takes out the part of the colon where cancer is present. In most instances, the treatment is successful, and the patients become cancer-free.

Anyone in the first stage of cancer has what is known as the five-year relative survival rate of 92 percent. It implies that a person with cancer has approximately 92 percent chance to survive for a maximum of five years following the diagnosis than people who have not had the disease diagnosed.

3. Stage II
Colon cancer’s stage two is further sub-divided into three other phases. These are:

• Stage II A: In this stage, cancer enters the colon and rectum walls and penetrates the outermost layer. However, it does not move beyond that.
• Stage II B: During this period, the disease spreads past the outermost colon layer or rectum wall, but does not reach the surrounding organs or tissues.
• Stage II C: Here, cancer goes beyond the colon’s outermost layer or the rectum’s walls and makes its way to the surrounding organs or tissues. However, it does not spread to distant organs or the lymph nodes.

4. Stage III
It is an advanced stage where the disease spreads from the colon or the rectum and enters the lymph nodes. But the organs are still unaffected. Surgery can still help remove cancer during this phase. However, in addition to surgery, patients may need radiation treatment or chemotherapy, especially if they are not at their healthiest best. The five-year relative survival chance is between 53 percent to 89 percent in this stage of colon cancer.

5. Stage IV
This stage is also sub-divided into three other phases, as follows:

• Stage IV A: Here, cancer enters one organ or area that is not around the rectum or colon, such as remote lymph nodes, ovary, lungs, or the liver.
• Stage IV B: In this stage, cancer affects more than one organ or area not around the rectum or colon.
• Stage IV C: This is the final stage of colon cancer. The disease spreads to the tissues surrounding the abdominal wall and may have entered other organs or areas.