Is colon cancer invading the submucosa early stage?

Written by Yan Chun

Oncology

Updated on April 19, 2025

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The lesion of colon cancer has invaded the submucosa, which could be either early stage or advanced stage, as the staging of colon cancer is determined by three factors. First is the primary lesion of the colon cancer itself, second is the regional lymph node metastasis, and third is distant metastasis. The invasion of the submucosa in colon cancer is just indicative of the status of the primary lesion; we also need to consider the regional lymph nodes and distant metastasis to determine the stage. If the lesion has invaded the submucosa without regional lymph node metastasis and no distant metastasis, then its clinical stage is early. If the lesion of colon cancer has not only invaded the submucosa but also has regional lymph node metastasis or has metastasized to distant organs, then the condition would be considered as advanced stage.

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