The stages of colon cancer are easy to learn for this preventable disease. Your doctor or medical specialist should know all about this disease and what to do about it. You yourself can learn about the stages of colon cancer here in this article and be more prepared to face this treatable cancer.
The first of the stages of colon cancer is a precancerous condition and is labeled “stage 0″. The abnormal cells that can be found have the ability to become cancerous later. Also, they may spread to other healthy tissue. They start in the very innermost cells of the colon. This level or stage of cancer is called ” in situ ” which means ” in place ” . This is the first of the four stages of colon cancer.
The second stage of the stages of colon cancer is a level where the cancer has grown and may have spread beyond the colon to surrounding areas. This is called stage II colon cancer. Stage II colon cancer is called “dukes B” colon cancer by some medical workers. This stage is divided into two sub levels called IIa and IIb. The IIa stage is when the cancer has spread into the middle layers of the colon wall or has spread into the rectum or nearby tissues. The level IIb is described by the cancer spreading ( metastasizing ) into organs that are near or spreading through the abdominal wall.
Stage III of the stages of colon cancer is a bit complicated, but is characterized overall by the cancer spreading into nearby lymph nodes. Stage III goes into three sub levels. The ultimate sub level for stage III is IIIc. For this stage the cancer has affected four or more lymph nodes and has spread into nearby tissue such as the peritoneum or other localized areas. As expected, this stage of prostate cancer can also be called “dukes C” prostate cancer.
The last and most dangerous of the stages of colon cancer is stage IV. This stage of colon cancer is described as a cancer that has invaded areas of the body that are not near the colon. The lymphatic system may have been used to help invade the rest of the body with cancer during this stage. A person who reaches level IV colon cancer will need urgent and drastic treatment if they want to add more years to their life.
The simple facts about colon cancer is that it is easily treatable in its early stages. No one has to go through all the stages of colon cancer if they will adhere to basic good health and be listening to the signals their body gives them. Pain is designed as a sign that something is wrong and being able to recognize the signs is a good thing.