The third most prevalent type of cancer in the country, colon cancer affects the colon or large intestine, which absorbs water and salt from solid wastes. Cancerous tumors in the large intestine result in symptoms like diarrhea or constipation, IBS, loose stools, weakness, fatigue, and abdominal pain, among several other symptoms. The condition mostly affects individuals above the age of 50 years. This article talks about the stages and treatments for colon cancer; read on to know more.

Stages of colon cancer

Depending upon its severity, colon cancer is categorized into different stages, and the treatments for the disease are based on the stage the cancer is at. Each stage signifies the severity of cancer depending upon the size of the tumor and the area infected:

• Stage 0
  Also called carcinoma in situ, this is an early stage of the condition. Cancer can be treated easily at this stage as the tumor is inside the inner layer of the colon.
• Stage 1
  At this stage, the tumor has developed and infected the adjacent layer of the tissue, but it has not reached the lymph nodes and surrounding organs.
• Stage 2
  At this stage, the tumor has developed to the peripheral layers of the colon but has not spread outside the colon.
• Stage 3
  The lymph nodes surrounding the colon are infected with cancer, but no distant organs are affected.
• Stage 4
  This is the final stage of colon cancer in which cancer has spread to other tissues outside the wall of the colon and infects other, even distant organs in the body.

Treatments for colon cancer
Stages and treatments for colon cancer differ from one person to another depending upon the stage of cancer and other factors like the patient’s age, overall health, and underlying medical conditions. The treatment methods for colon cancer are as follows:

Surgery
The type of surgery to eradicate colon cancer depends upon the stage of cancer:

• Polypectomy
  The infected polyps are removed easily during colonoscopy.
• Endoscopic mucosal resection
  The doctor removes enlarged polyps, along with a portion of healthy tissues, to stop cancer from spreading.
• Laparoscopic surgery
  If the polyps are big and have not spread to the neighboring tissues, a laparoscopy is done. During this surgery, several small incisions are made in the abdomen to remove tumors.
• Colostomy
  When the colon fails to work normally after partial colectomy, a colostomy is done. In this procedure, an alternate opening is created in the abdomen wall to excrete waste into a bag. It may either be permanent or temporary.

Chemotherapy
In this treatment, medications are given orally or through an IV to destroy the cancer cells. This treatment option has several side effects associated with it, which can be treated with additional medications.

Radiation therapy
In this treatment procedure, the cancer cells are targeted with powerful X-ray beams to destroy them. It is an additional treatment provided along with chemotherapy.

Targeted drug therapy
This treatment is restricted to patients with advanced colon cancer. The medications provided in this treatment target, particularly the cancer cells and destroy them, while not affecting the healthy cells.