Stages of Colorectal Cancer (Summary Staging)

• Stage 0: Cancer is confined to inner lining of the colon wall (the mucosa).
• Stage I: Cancer has spread beyond the mucosa to the middle layers of the colon wall.
• Stage II: Cancer has spread beyond the colon's middle layers and possibly into nearby organs, but hasn't spread to lymph nodes.
• Stage III: Cancer has spread to lymph nodes, but not to other parts of the body.
• Stage IV: Cancer has spread to distant areas, like the liver or lungs.