Over 90% of people whose colorectal cancer is found and treated at an early stage, before it has spread, are cured following surgical treatment.  Once the cancer has spread to nearby organs or lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate goes down.

Staging of Colon Cancer

After colon cancer has been diagnosed, studies are performed to find out if cancer cells have spread within the colon or to other parts of the body.  The process used to find out if cancer has spread within the colon or to other parts of the body is called “staging.” The information gathered from this process determines the stage of the disease. It is important to know the stage in order to plan treatment. The following stages are used for colon cancer:

  

Stage I	Cancer has grown through several layers of the colon
Treatment	Surgical resection of the segment of colon
Stage II	Cancer has grown into the wall of the colon
Treatment	Surgical resection of the segment of colon
Stage III	Cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes but not to other parts of the body
Treatment	Surgical resection of the segment of colon and chemotherapy (possible radiation therapy for those with rectal cancer)
Stage IV	Cancer has spread to distant organs and tissues
Treatment	Surgical resection of the segment of colon and chemotherapy (possible radiaition for rectal cancer)