Many patients are anxious about the staging of the cancer when they have been diagnosed with colon cancers. This is understandably so as it determines both the overall prognosis of the cancer as well as the treatment necessary to cure it.
A cancer stage is a rating assigned to describe the extent of the cancer. It is used to plan which tests may be needed and which treatments are best for you. The AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer) TNM (tumour, node, metastasis) system is used to stage colon cancer.
In the AJCC system, the following key pieces of information about your cancer are used to give it a stage:
- T: How far the cancer has grown through the colon wall
- N: Whether any lymph nodes have cancer
- M: Whether the cancer has spread to areas far from the colon (metastasized)
The T, N, and M scores are combined to assign the cancer a stage. There are five stages of colon cancer. They are numbered 0, I, II, III or IV and are explained below.
Adequate Rest
You may experience discomfort or fatigue during pregnancy. Take care of yourself and your body, eat healthy food and go for a walk.
Getting enough rest and self-care is an important part of the pregnancy. The main thing to remember is that pregnancy is not a disease, and the simpler and more natural you will relate to what is happening, the less fear and inconvenience you will cause yourself and yours.
Repair Your Gut
During pregnancy, the load on the mother’s body increases. The body needs more nutrients, the body produces additional hormones. And the growing fetus presses on neighboring organs, including the stomach and intestines. We will tell you what symptoms are observed in each trimester, how to cope with toxicosis and get rid of heartburn.
Energy and Mind
The period of pregnancy plays a special role in a woman’s life. These are incomparable feelings of simultaneous joy from the realization of the life that has arisen within and the breathtaking, exciting anxiety and even the appearance of fears, which can be very diverse.
A human genetic feature is caring for offspring, like all mammals, a number of fears in a pregnant woman are associated with this feature.
Stage 0
These cancers are also called carcinoma in situ of the colon. The cancer is non-invasive. This means it has not grown beyond the first layer of the colon wall. You may not need more treatment if a polypectomy has removed all of the cancer.Stage I
The cancer has grown into either the second or third layer of the colon wall. There is no cancer in nearby lymph nodes or in areas far from the colon.Stage II
The cancer has grown into, or beyond the fourth layer of the colon wall. There is no cancer in nearby lymph nodes or in areas far from the colon.
Stage III
The cancer has spread from the colon to nearby lymph nodes or there are tumour deposits. Tumour deposits refer to small tumours found in the fat around the colon.
Stage IV
The cancer has spread to areas far from the colon. Colon cancer often spreads to the liver and the lungs first.
It is important to note that the final staging is only possible after surgery is done on the cancer and all the above key information is available from the histology and radiology reports. Patient often do not understand that and repeatedly inquire about the final staging even before the operation or soon after the operation.
Oftentimes an estimation of the staging may be possible based on the pre-operative scans, by studying the extent of tumour growth, the presence of lymph nodes involved as well as metastasis in the liver and/or lung.