How does colon cancer treatment vary by stage?

Colon cancer is a common malignancy, and its treatment varies with the stage of the disease. It turns out that catching cancer early gives you the best chance of a cure and reduces cancer deaths. Early detection also provides more options for treatment and makes it more tolerable. The different stages of colon cancer treatment and how to treat them are described below.

How is Bowel Cancer Diagnosed?

There are two common ways to diagnose colon cancer: one is whether there are symptoms, and the other is through physical examination, including abdominal palpation, digital rectal examination, etc., to look for tumors or other abnormalities.

What are the different stages of colorectal cancer?

Carcinoma in situ (Stage 0)

In stage 0, abnormal cells can be found on the mucous membrane of the intestinal wall. This abnormal cell can grow into cancer and metastasize. Stage 0 is usually called carcinoma in situ.

stage 1 colon cancer

Stage 1 colon cancer cells metastasize from the colonic mucosa to the base layer. In stage 1 colon cancer forms in the colonic mucosa and metastasizes to the base layer. Cancer may have metastasized to the base layer of the colon wall.

stage 2 colon cancer

In stage 2A, cancer cells have metastasized from the base layer to the serosa layer;

In stage 2B, cancer cells have penetrated the serosa layer and have not invaded adjacent organs;

In stage 2C, cancer cells penetrate the serosa layer and invade adjacent organs.

stage 3 colon cancer

Stage 3A colon cancer: Cancer has metastasized from the mucosal layer of the colon wall to the submucosa, may invade the muscular layer, and has metastasized to 1-3 surrounding lymph nodes or more at the same time.

Stage 3B colon cancer: Cancer has metastasized from the muscular layer to or through the serosa but has not invaded adjacent organs; cancer has metastasized to 1 to 3 surrounding lymph nodes or perilymphatic tissues or more.

Stage 3C colon cancer: Cancer has penetrated the serosa layer but has not metastasized to surrounding adjacent organs and has metastasized to 4-6 surrounding lymph nodes or more. Alternatively, the cancer has penetrated the serosa and metastasized to surrounding lymph nodes or lymph node-adjacent tissues to surrounding adjacent organs and above.

stage 4 colon cancer

Stage 4A colon cancer: The cancer has penetrated the wall of the colon and spread to nearby organs or lymph nodes. Cancer has metastasized to an organ other than the colon, such as the liver, lung, ovary, or other distant lymph nodes.

Stage 4B colon cancer: Cancer has penetrated the wall of the colon and may spread to nearby organs or lymph nodes. Cancer has metastasized to one or more organs other than the colon or to the interior of the abdominal wall.

The following are common protocols for staging the treatment of colon cancer:

1. Early colon cancer (Stage I or II):

For early colon cancer, surgery is the mainstay of treatment. After surgical resection of the tumor, the need for adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy is considered on a case-by-case basis.

2. Middle-stage colon cancer (stage III):

For intermediate-stage colon cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy are usually given after surgical resection of the tumor. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can reduce the recurrence and spread of cancer cells, and improve the treatment effect and survival rate.

3. Advanced colon cancer (stage IV):

For advanced colon cancer, treatment options usually include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and radiation, among others. Chemotherapy and targeted therapy can slow disease progression and relieve symptoms, and radiation therapy can relieve pain and control the disease.

It should be noted that the specific treatment plan needs to be determined according to the specific situation of the patient and the doctor's advice. During treatment, patients need to actively cooperate with treatment, pay attention to diet and living habits, and avoid adverse reactions and complications caused by treatment.

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Editor: kiki Jia

Date: August 3, 2023