Colon cancer is a condition in which malignant cancer cells form in the tissues of the colon. It is the third most common type of cancer in the United States. In 2019, the American Cancer Society (ACS) predicted that 101,420 people in the U.S. will receive a new diagnosis of colon cancer. The symptoms that are commonly reported include blood in the stool or a drastic change in bowel habits. Medical experts recommend regular screenings for colon cancer once you reach the age of 50.

This article explains the stages and treatments for colon cancer in detail. The condition mostly does not exhibit any visible symptoms. However, the common signs include loose and narrow stools, weakness and fatigue, iron deficiency anemia, a continual urge to pass stool despite clear bowels, weakness, blood in the stool, and abdominal pain, among others. There are several ways to stage cancer. The stages of the disease determine how far the cancer has spread in the body and is crucial to determine treatment methods for it.

The stages and treatments for colon cancer are as follows.

• Stage 0 – At this point, cancer is at an early stage and has not spread further than the inner colon layer. At this stage, it is easier to treat the disease.
• Stage 1 – Here, the cancer has reached the next layer of tissue but has not spread to the lymph nodes or any other organs.
• Stage 2 – The cancer has reached the outer layer of the colon but not spread further than the colon region.
• Stage 3 – Cancer at this stage has grown through the outer layers of the colon and reached one to three lymph nodes. It has not spread to distant sites.
• Stage 4 – An advanced stage of cancer, the disease at this stage has reached other tissues beyond the colon wall. As the last stage progresses, the disease reaches distant organs of the body and is fatal.

Other factors that influence treatment options are the age of the patient and the overall health condition of the patient.

Surgery
The entire colon or the part affected by the cancer is removed through a surgical process called colectomy. The surgeon, during this procedure, will remove the part of the colon that is cancer-affected, as well as some of the surrounding area. The various types of surgery include endoscopy, laparoscopic surgery, and palliative surgery.

Chemotherapy
When the cancer spreads further, doctors recommend chemotherapy to treat colon cancer. In this procedure, the medical team administers medications that interfere with the cell division process. This is done by disrupting proteins or DNA to kill and damage the cancer cells. Hair loss, vomiting, fatigue, and nausea are some of the common side effects of chemotherapy.

Radiation
Radiation therapy kills cancer cells by focusing high energy gamma rays on them. The radiation may also come from high energy radiation rays. To treat colon cancer, doctors do not recommend this therapy until the later stages. The common side effects of this treatment are nausea, diarrhea, appetite loss, weight loss, and fatigue.