New Colon Cancer Staging?

[BondGirl11]

Hi everyone! I pray that whoever is reading this is having the best of days.

I was just doing some research on the American Cancer Society website and it looks as if they changed their staging. Can anyone help me to confirm this or is the staging different depending on the website?

Here's the link http://m.cancer.org/cancer/colonandrect ... cer-staged

[BeansMama]

My staging looks the same in the website you provided as it did when I looked it up almost a year ago. Not sure if that helps you at all, is there information on a particular stage you are looking for?

[BondGirl11]

Hi! Thanks for responding. Well I was told that I was stage 3. 3b to be exact. My tumor has grown into the muscularis propia and had affected one lymph node. From the information they provided it looks as if I'm not stage 3 at all. Unless of course I'm reading it wrong

[LeonW]

Hi BondGirl,

Good for you that you're reading up on the jargon. You'll need it to understand what you've gotten into.

I had a look at the link, but cannot find anything that is new/different. You can see from my signature (below) that I was classified as IVa (T3N1bM1a) back in early 2013 and it (still) matches the info in your link.

Why do you think there is something new?
Best wishes,
Leon

PS: you may want to a signature to your profile. It helps everyone tremendously to understand your situation / makes sharing meaningful info easier.

[Leeloo]

Hi Bondgirl11,
Here is a link to the cancer staging website. Hope it helps you in your quest for information.

https://cancerstaging.org/references-to ... nSmall.pdf

Leeloo

[Lee]

Based on that new staging, guess I am downgraded to IIIB from IIIC. This was 12 years ago, butt because I had 6 positive nodes, I was a C. Seems now you are a C at 7 nodes positive. Interesting

Lee

[NZJay]

The staging info in that link took me from stage 3b to stage 3c hahaha... fuckin neato!

[testing765]

I spoke with my oncologist about staging at one point in time. As I recall, you can have a T1 or T2 with 7 or more positive lymph nodes and be considered a stage 3B. That matches up with the information contained in the link that you provided.

I think some slight changes were made to staging at some point in time, but as of 8/14 my oncologist was working off of the information contained in your link.

[CRguy]

I was just doing some research on the American Cancer Society website and it looks as if they changed their staging. Can anyone help me to confirm this or is the staging different depending on the website?

Here's the link http://m.cancer.org/cancer/colonandrect ... cer-staged

Your link looks like the "mobile device" url which is basically the same as the link in our Terminology and abbreviations sticky
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/colonandre ... cer-staged

Both pages show an update history of :
Last Medical Review: 10/15/2015
Last Revised: 01/20/2016

The ACS Staging is their staging wherever it is found, and as I recall the biggest change recently was the division of Stage IV into Stage IVa + Stage IVb subtypes and some revisions to the Stage III classes, redefining more "either/or" TNM scenarios per subclass.
Previously Stage IV was just Stage IV .....

BUTT there are also other different types of "classes"/"Stagings" from elsewhere, outside North America, which may also still be referred to on different sites ( i.e. Duke's ). This forum has pretty much adopted the ACS system for almost all discussions I have seen here.

As has been noted ... REorganizing of the Staging system itself, can cause some concern and confusion for patients who " used to be THAT and now are THIS ??? "
In general the newer staging system just reflects the changes in patient care, diagnostics, and the aggressiveness of how a different "Stage" might be treated based upon newer clinical results and knowledge.

After all it is just a number ...

Cheers and Harmony homies
CRguy

[Nik Colon]

The way they have it written in that site makes it look confusing. It may look like it falls into stage 2c, but it's actually 3a (for instance).
ALL stage 3 have lymph, 2 none. (Yes, N1c, altho not actual lymph is counted as lymph also).
Anyway, you mentioned lymph which auto makes it 3, unless distant organs, then 4

1 and 2, no lymph
3 lymph
4 distant organs

(easiest way for me to remember)

[Nik Colon]

http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/colo ... cer/stages

[Nik Colon]

The staging info in that link took me from stage 3b to stage 3c hahaha... fuckin neato!

T4b(touched stomach organ),N1(3/23),M0(Stage 3B)

That would be 3C according to the info and links because of the T4b

BUTTTTT

Stage IIIC: The cancer of the colon, regardless of how deep it has grown, has spread to 4 or more lymph nodes but not to other distant parts of the body (T4a, N2a, M0; T3 or T4a, N2b, M0; or T4b, N1 or N2, M0).

BUTTTTTT

Stage IIIB: The cancer has grown through the bowel wall or to surrounding organs and into 1 to 3 lymph nodes or to a nodule of tumor in tissues around the colon or rectum that do not appear to be lymph nodes. It has not spread to other parts of the body (T3 or T4a, N1 or N1c, M0; T2 or T3, N2a, M0; or T1 or T2, N2b, M0).

BUTTTTTT

on the first op link:

3C
T4b, N1 or N2, M0
The cancer has grown through the wall of the colon or rectum and is attached to or has grown into other nearby tissues or organs (T4b). It has spread to at least one nearby lymph node or into areas of fat near the lymph nodes (N1 or N2). It has not spread to distant sites (M0).

(But you mentioned it just touched it)
Soooo????? Idk