Stages, types and grades of bowel cancer
The stage of a bowel cancer tells you how far it has grown through the bowel wall and whether it has spread to nearby
or other organs. It helps your doctor to know which treatment you need.
There are different ways of staging bowel cancer. There is a number staging system and the TNM system. The Dukes' staging system is not really used anymore.
The number staging system gives a number from stage 0 to stage 4.
Stage 0 or (CIS) means that you have an early stage of bowel cancer. There are cancer cells in your bowel lining, but they’re completely contained. There is little risk of any cancer cells having spread. We have more information about stage 1 to stage 4 bowel cancer below.
The type refers to the type of cell the cancer started in and where it began. The grade means how abnormal the cells look under the microscope.
Grades and types of bowel cancer
The grade of a bowel (colorectal) cancer tells you how it might behave. Bowel cancer is also divided into different types depending on the type of cell that your cancer started in.
TNM staging for bowel cancer
Tumour, node and metastasis (TNM) staging is one of the systems used to stage bowel (colon and rectal) cancer.
Stage 1 bowel cancer
Stage 1 bowel cancer has grown through the inner lining of the bowel, or into the muscle wall. It has not spread to lymph nodes or distant body parts.
Stage 2 bowel cancer
Stage 2 bowel cancer has spread into the outer wall of the bowel or into tissue or organs next to the bowel. It has not spread to the lymph nodes or distant parts of the body. There are a number of treatment options.
Stage 3 bowel cancer
Stage 3 bowel cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, but hasn't spread to distant body parts.
Stage 4 bowel cancer
Stage 4 bowel cancer has spread to distant body parts, such as the liver or lungs. It's also called metastatic or advanced bowel cancer.
Dukes' staging system
The most common system to stage bowel cancer is TNM staging. But you might hear your doctor talking about your bowel cancer as Dukes’ A,B,C or D.
