Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsStaging SystemStaging and PrognosisNext StepsRecurrence
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Staging System
Staging and Prognosis
Next Steps
Recurrence
Colon cancer staging involves defining the severity of your disease based on how much cancer is in your body. It describes the extent to which the disease has spread and, if so, how far it has spread from the primary site. While every person’s disease is unique, each stage of colon cancer tends to have a similarprognosisand treatment options across populations.
Colon cancer occurs when cancer cells grow in yourcolon(large intestine). While the term “colon cancer” is often used interchangeably with the term “colorectal cancer,” they are not the same. Colorectal cancer refers to any cancer of the large intestine, which includes both colon cancer andrectal cancer.
The four stages of colon cancer are numbered 1 through 4. Stage 0 is a preclinical stage. The lower the stage number, the less your cancer has spread. Higher numbers mean that the cancer has spread more.
Colon Cancer Staging System
Colon canceris staged at the time of your diagnosis before treatment begins. It does not change even if your disease improves or worsens.
Colon cancer is most often staged using the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) guidelines. These guidelines use pathological staging, which determines the staging based on tissue removed during surgery.
Clinical staging, which stages cancer using results from physical exams, lab reports, andimaging testsperformed before surgery, is considered less accurate than pathological staging.
The AJCC uses the TNM system, which evaluates three key pieces of information to determine cancer staging. Each letter refers to a specific disease characteristic:
Based on the AJCC system, the stages of colon cancer include:
Stage 0 (Carcinoma In Situ)
Stage 0 cancer is considered a preclinical stage of colon cancer. It involves the following features:
Stage 1
Stage 1 cancer is the earliest stage of colon cancer. It involves the following characteristics:
Stage 2
Stage 2 colon cancer has metastasized outside your colon to invade the surrounding tissue but not your lymph nodes. Stage 2 cancer is subdivided into subcategories 2A, 2B, and 2C:
Stage 2A:
Stage 2B:
Stage 2C:
Stage 3
Stage 3A:
Or,stage 3Acan involve:
Stage 3B:
Or,stage 3Bcan involve:
Stage 3C:
Or,stage 3Ccan involve:
Stage 4
Stage 4 cancer, also calledmetastatic colon cancer, involves cancer that has traveled through your lymph system and bloodstream to other parts of your body. With colon cancer, the lungs and liver are the organs most often affected.
Stage 4A:
Stage 4B:
Stage 4C:
Stage vs. Grade in Colon CancerStage and grade are two ways to describe the severity of your colon cancer. Each term describes a different aspect of the disease, as follows:Thestageof colon cancer describes the extent (how far it has spread) and severity of your disease at diagnosis.Thegradeof colon cancer describes how abnormal the cancer cells and tissue look under a microscope compared to healthy cells. The more normal the cells appear, the less aggressive the cancer and the more slowly it is likely to grow and spread.
Stage vs. Grade in Colon Cancer
Stage and grade are two ways to describe the severity of your colon cancer. Each term describes a different aspect of the disease, as follows:Thestageof colon cancer describes the extent (how far it has spread) and severity of your disease at diagnosis.Thegradeof colon cancer describes how abnormal the cancer cells and tissue look under a microscope compared to healthy cells. The more normal the cells appear, the less aggressive the cancer and the more slowly it is likely to grow and spread.
Stage and grade are two ways to describe the severity of your colon cancer. Each term describes a different aspect of the disease, as follows:
Colon Cancer Staging and Prognosis
Your colon cancer staging can impact your disease prognosis (a prediction or estimate of the chance of recovery or survival from the disease). A prognosis is typically based on statistics calculated on how a disease acts in studies of the general population.
It’s important to understand that since your prognosis is based on average statistics, it means that there is always the chance that you will do better or worse than what is considered average.
Many factors can influence your colon cancer prognosis. These concerns include:
A cancer prognosis usually considers the five-year survival rate. This represents the percentage of people in a study or treatment group who are alive five years after they were diagnosed or started treatment for colon cancer.
Colon vs. Rectal CancerWhile the tumor characteristics in colon and rectal cancers have similarities, they are two different conditions. These two types of cancers are often grouped as colorectal cancer to describe all cancers of the large intestine because of their similar risk factors, symptoms, incidence rates, and the genetic makeup of people affected. However, these cancers alsohave differences that can impact your treatment and prognosisif you are diagnosed with either condition.
Colon vs. Rectal Cancer
While the tumor characteristics in colon and rectal cancers have similarities, they are two different conditions. These two types of cancers are often grouped as colorectal cancer to describe all cancers of the large intestine because of their similar risk factors, symptoms, incidence rates, and the genetic makeup of people affected. However, these cancers alsohave differences that can impact your treatment and prognosisif you are diagnosed with either condition.
Does Treatment Cure Colon Cancer?
Colon cancer is considered a highly treatable disease. It can often be cured when diagnosed while it is still localized to the bowel and has not spread to involve other tissue or organs. Surgery is the primary form of treatment. It can achieve a cure in about 50% of people with colon cancer.
While surgery can be successful, recurrence following surgery for colon cancer is a significant problem. Recurrent colon cancer can often be more complicated to treat than the initial disease. It is often the ultimate cause of death, which is why cancer survivors are advised to visit their providers regularly after treatment concludes.
Next Steps With Diagnosed Colon Cancer
Here are some next steps to ensure that you get the best possible care if you are diagnosed with colon cancer:
Communicate With Your Healthcare Provider
Talk openly with the healthcare provider who delivers your diagnosis. Don’t hesitate to ask as many questions as you need to in order to clearly understand your medical condition and recommended next steps, and treatment options.
Take time to write or record their answers since it will likely involve a lot of new information all at once. If possible, take a family member or friend with you so they can take notes while you discuss your situation.
Get a Second Opinion
Inform Yourself
Learn all you can about colon cancer and how to cope with it. The more you know about colon cancer, the easier it will be to discuss your condition with healthcare providers and participate in decisions regarding your treatment.
You can investigate treatment options through theNational Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service, which can provide recommended treatment plans from the National Cancer Institute based on your diagnosis, the location of your primary cancer, and the stage of your colon cancer.
Carefully Decide on a Treatment Plan
After you get a second opinion and gather the information you need to make an informed decision, you should prepare to make decisions regarding your treatment plan. These choices will involve the type of treatment you receive, where you receive it, and who administers it.
Continue to Stay Informed
Your involvement in ensuring you get the best possible care does not stop with choosing a treatment plan. Stay as informed as possible about what is happening and how it affects your progress. Talk to your healthcare provider about ways you can work to stay healthy and fit to support the success of your treatments.
Take Advantage of Support Services
Depending on your medical condition and living situation, you may benefit from using support services during and after your treatment. This can be helpful if you don’t have family or friends who can lend a hand.
If that is the case, check with your healthcare provider or cancer treatment advocate to learn about the resources available to you through your health insurance, local social service organizations, and volunteers.
Take Stock of Your Finances
While money is likely the last thing you want to worry about when you receive a diagnosis of colon cancer, you should determine the cost of your treatment and how you will pay your portion of the costs.
Contact your health insurance plan to find out about your plan limits and how you can make the most of the coverage you have. This may affect where you receive treatment and the type of treatment you can afford.
Determine how you will deal with time lost from work and if you qualify for disability insurance. If finances are a problem, discuss your situation with your healthcare provider, who can direct you to resources for financial assistance and financial aid.
Take Charge of Your Future
Observe your healthcare provider’s advice for follow-up care after your treatment ends to remain as healthy as possible and monitor your health for signs of recurrence.
Stage of Recurrent Colon Cancer
Recurrent colon canceris colon cancer that returns after a period calledremission. Remission is a partial or total disappearance of colon cancer signs and symptoms after treatment.
Among people treated for colon cancer, about 30% to 40% develop recurrent disease, with the risk of recurrence lower for people diagnosed with stage 1 disease vs. stages 2 or 3.
When colon cancer recurs, it usually appears as a distant metastasis in your liver or lungs. When it recurs locally, it affects the pelvis or peritoneum. Most recurrences of colon cancer occur within the first two to three years after treatment for the initial disease.
In most cases, the formal stage of cancer remains the same as when it was first diagnosed, even if it returns or spreads after a period of remission. Under certain circumstances, recurrent colon cancer may be restaged, though it is uncommon.
If your healthcare provider decides to restage recurrent colon cancer, the same exams, imagining tests, biopsies, and surgeries used to stage the initial disease are repeated to identify the new stage. When a conclusion is reached, the new stage is identified with a lowercase “r” before the recurrence or retreatment stage.
Summary
Colon cancer staging helps describe the extent of your disease so healthcare providers know how much the disease has spread and if so, how far. Staging is used to make decisions about your treatment and determine a prognosis. Surgery is the standard treatment for colon cancer in stages 1 through 4.
While useful, colon cancer staging is only one part of your disease story. Factors such as your age at diagnosis, tumor grade, and other health conditions can impact your disease outcomes.
Getting an early diagnosis and treatment is the best way to improve your results. Maintaining a schedule of follow-up appointments and screenings as advised after treatment can support your long-term success as a colon cancer survivor.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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