Colon cancer has become one of the worst known cancer diseases to hit Americans. There are actually five different stages to colon cancer. When the cancer is caught in one of its early stages the patient has a better chance of recovering depending on what treatments are used.
Stage 0 - This is the earliest stage of colon cancer. During this stage the cancer has only infected the lining of the colon and is confined to polyps (this is the tissue that is expanding from the surface of an organ). When these polyps are removed during the colonoscopy procedure they no longer have any chance of spreading to other areas of the body.
Stage I - During this stage the polyps has turned into a tumor and has progressed beyond the lining of the colon and moved into the wall. Treatments for this stage will require the removal of a section of the colon that the cancer has infected. This procedure is referred to as a resection.
Stage II - This stage occurs when the cancer has moved on to the tissue that surrounds the colon - but it has not yet spread itself to the lymph nodes. When the cancer has spread for one part of the body to another part it is referred to as metastasis colon cancer. Most will treat this stage with a resection.
Stage III - During this stage the cancer has traveled to the outside of the colon cancer and traveled to the lymph nodes. It has not yet spread to other organs in the body. The treatment is very aggressive and may include; resection and chemotherapy.
Stage IV - In this stage the colon cancer has traveled to other organs in the body (liver, lungs, etc.). Most often times it will be treated with a resection, radiation treatment, chemotherapy, or surgery to remove other parts of the body that are affected.
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