Like other cancers, colon cancer has many stages depending on the disease evolution. The first stages, zero and one, are the most easiest to cure. In stage zero, the cancer is not actually a formed disease, but there are some signs that there are polyps that may become cancerous. The stage is called zero, because the cancer has not left its original position. In colon cancer stage one the cancer has extended beyond the innermost layer of the colon into the middle layers of the colon. It these cases surgical interventions can be performed to remove the tumors.

In colon cancer stage two, the disease starts to evolve and it moves beyond the middle layers of the colon. Stage two is sometimes considered to be an intermediate one, between the first stages and the last stages of colon cancer.



The last stages of colon cancer are stage three and stage four. In stage three, the cancer is found in at least three lymph nodes. Sometimes, the disease is considered to be in stage three if it has affected besides the lymph nodes, other nearby organs. In stage four, colon cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The disease can develop metastases in far organs such as the liver and the lungs, that are the most common affected ones, but also on the brain. When colon cancer develops metastases on the brain the chances of cure are very low. However, this evolution is not very common.

With the disease evolution, the chances of cure decreases. So, if diagnosed in the first stages, the disease can be easily cured and most patients do not get to the advanced stages. But, if colon cancer is diagnosed in stage three and mostly, in stage four, the chances of survival are very low. This happened because surgical intervention can not be performed in all colon cancer cases. Then, treatment can involve also radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the administration of different drugs and medications, and it can be used before and after the surgery also.



The treatment depends on the stage of the disease, the way it evolves and the rapidity with which is spreads and grows. Also, different patient can react different to medications and treatments. That is way, when diagnosed with one of the last stages of colon cancer you do not have to think that cure is impossible. Although survival rates in colon cancer stage three and four are not very optimistic, it does not mean that the disease can not be cured at all. Even if the chances to actually be treated are very low, through medications, pain can be reduced or the cancer growth sopped. This may give some relief to every patient.