Stage 2 bowel cancer
Stage 2 bowel (colon and rectal) 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.
Stage 2 is divided into 3 stages - 2A, 2B and 2C.
Stage 2A
Stage 2A means that the cancer has grown into the outer lining of the bowel.
Stage 2B
Stage 2B means that the cancer has grown through the outer lining of the bowel into the tissue layer (peritoneum) covering the organs in the tummy (abdomen).
Stage 2C
Stage 2C means that the cancer has grown through the wall of the colon or rectum, into organs and tissues next to it.
TNM stages
The TNM staging system stands for Tumour, Node, Metastasis.
In the TNM staging system, stage 2A bowel cancer is the same as:
- T3, N0, M0.
Stage 2B is the same as:
- T4a, N0, M0.
Stage 2C bowel cancer is the same as:
- T4b, N0, M0.
Treatment for stage 2 large bowel (colon) cancer
You have surgery to remove your cancer.
Your surgeon might suggest 
before or after surgery.
Chemotherapy before surgery can shrink the cancer to make it easier for to remove. Chemotherapy after surgery can lower the chance of your cancer coming back after surgery.
Treatment for stage 2 rectal cancer of the back passage (rectal cancer)
The main treatments are:
- surgery
radiotherapy - chemotherapy
- chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy (chemoradiotherapy)
You might have:
- surgery as your only treatment
- a short course of radiotherapy, followed by surgery
- a course of chemoradiotherapy, followed by surgery
- a course of chemotherapy, followed by surgery
- total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) – this is chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy and a course of chemotherapy all before surgery
Further treatment
Rarely, your doctor might offer you chemotherapy after surgery, especially if you haven’t had this before surgery.
