Cancers regardless of where it occurs usually start in one section of the body. If this is not treated, the cells will spread to nearby tissues and this is exactly what happens when you have stage 2 colon cancer.

Stage 2 colon cancer is also known as Duke B colon cancer. There are two types namely 2A and 2B. You are diagnosed to have 2A colon cancer if it has spread beyond the middle tissue layers of the colon wall or has infected around the rectum. You will have 2B if it has gone beyond the peritoneum.

Formerly known as Duke C colon cancer, stage 3 is a stage where the tumor has spread beyond its original site in the mucosa, or the first layer of the colon, into the serosa, the outermost layer. There, the tumor breeds while waiting to travel into a lymph node or blood vessel that will transport it to distant body parts.

Differentiating 3A, 3B and 3C

Stage 3 colon cancer is divided into three groups, from least advanced to most advance. The earliest stage is known as Stage 3A (formerly Duke C1), the middle stage is Stage 3B (Duke C2) and the most advanced stage is Stage 3C (Duke C3).