Colorectal cancer, commonly referred to as colon cancer, is one of the most painful types of cancer. People who have this cancer have considerable pains, depending on the symptoms and stage of the disease. Sometimes, the early signs are ignored, and they turn out to be serious symptoms. So, to help you get immediate treatment, here are the main signs and stages of colon cancer, discussed in depth.

Signs of Colon Cancer
Some of the predominant signs of colon cancer are:

• Change in the bowel movement
  Most of the signs of colon cancer are related to bowel problems. They are common, often ignored and therefore, must be mentioned in a discussion about the signs and stages of colon cancer. A change in the bowel habits, be it diarrhea, constipation or narrowing of the stool, is a major symptom and this will typically last for a few days, getting worse with time.
• Dark stools
  This happens to be one of the earliest symptoms of colon cancer, and is often ignored as something resulting from indigestion. Over the time, this dark stool might be accompanied by abdominal pain and cramping that can get unbearable.
• Rectal bleeding
  It is quite a threatening symptom, any kind of rectal bleeding is, in most cases, a sign of colon cancer. You should report to the doctor immediately and get a colonoscopy done to understand the stage of the disease.

Stages of colon cancer

• Stage 0
  While understanding the signs and stages of colon cancer, remember at the initial stage, the cancer has not grown beyond the inner lining of the colon. Therefore, surgery is the only and the best option to take out the cancer altogether.
• Stage 1
  In Stage 1, the cancer has grown deeper into the layers of the colon wall. It has not spread outside the colon wall or into the adjacent lymph nodes as such.
• Stage 2
  In the stage 2, the cancers would have certainly grown through the walls of colon and perhaps, into the nearby tissues too.
• Stage 3
  In the stage 3, cancer would have spread to the nearby lymph nodes, but it is yet to affect the other parts of the body. Both the partial colectomy surgery along with adjuvant chemotherapy are the standard treatments at this stage.
• Stage 4
  This is the most advanced stage when the cancer has spread to the other organs, primarily the liver. Surgery cannot cure these cancers except in cases where a few small areas of cancer have spread in the liver or lungs and they can be removed along with colon cancer.

A thorough understanding of the signs and stages of colon cancer can help you stay aware of the different treatment options available.