Information on the Stages of Colon Cancer

The stages of colon cancer describe the progress of the disease. Tests including CT scans, MRIs, lymph node biopsies, X-rays, and surgeries are performed to determine whether cancer has spread throughout the body. The stage of cancer helps establish a patient's course of treatment and prognosis.

Stage I

• In Stage I of colon cancer, cancer has formed in the colon and spread to the middle layers of the colon wall.

Stage IIA

• In Stage IIA of colon cancer, cancer has spread further than the colon wall's middle layers or has spread to nearby tissues. It has not spread to lymph nodes.

Stage IIB

• In Stage IIB of colon cancer, cancer has spread to nearby organs or the peritoneum, a membrane that forms the abdominal cavity lining. The cancer has not spread to lymph nodes.

Stage III

• In Stage III of colon cancer, cancer has spread into the lymph nodes.

Stage IV

• In Stage IV, cancer may or may not have spread to the lymph nodes, but it has spread to additional parts of the body, such as the lungs, ovaries, or liver.