Patient Education Colorectal Cancer: Your Care and Recovery | Page 13

Staging Colorectal Cancer
If a tumor is found to be cancer, your doctor needs to know the extent
(stage) of the disease to make the best treatment plan. The stage is based
on:
• whether the tumor has invaded nearby tissues
• whether the cancer has spread
• if it has spread, to what parts of the body
Colorectal cancer has four stages, based on the location of the tumor.

Stage 0: The cancer is found only in the innermost lining of the colon or
rectum. Carcinoma in situ is another name for Stage 0 colorectal cancer.

Stage I: The tumor has grown into the inner wall of the colon or rectum.
Stage II: The tumor extends more deeply into or through the wall of the
colon or rectum. It
may have invaded
nearby tissue, but
does not extend H[\