If you or a loved one is diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer, please know that you are not alone. The Riverside Cancer Care Network team, trained in all aspects of treatment from colorectal surgery to treating tumors with promising new drugs, is here to help you. We specialize in providing innovative, personalized cancer care at some of the most state-of-the-art facilities you will find.
After you have been diagnosed with colon cancer, our physicians will "stage" your cancer. Staging helps determine what treatments are most appropriate. The stages are:
Stage 0
The cancer is in the earliest stage. It hasn't grown beyond the inner layer (mucosa) of the colon or rectum. This stage of cancer may also be called carcinoma in situ.
Stage I
The cancer has grown through the mucosa but hasn't spread beyond the colon wall or rectum.
Stage II
The cancer has grown through the wall of the colon or rectum but hasn't spread to nearby lymph nodes.
Stage III
The cancer has invaded nearby lymph nodes but isn't affecting other parts of the body.
Stage IV
The cancer has spread to distant sites or organs such as the liver, lung, the membrane lining of the abdominal cavity or to an ovary.
Recurrent
Recurring cancer means that after prior treatment, the cancer has returned. It may recur in the colon, rectum or other part of the body.