Stage 4 bowel cancer
Stage 4 bowel (colon and rectal) cancer means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver or lungs. It's also called advanced bowel cancer.
Stage 4 is divided into 3 stages - 4A, 4B and 4C.
Stage 4A
Stage 4A means that the cancer has spread to 1 distant site or organ, for example the liver, but it hasn’t spread to the tissue lining your tummy (peritoneum).
The cancer spreads through the lymphatic system or the bloodstream.
Stage 4B
Stage 4B means the cancer has spread to 2 or more distant organs, but it hasn’t spread to the tissue lining your tummy (peritoneum).
Stage 4C
Stage 4C means the cancer may have spread to distant organs and it has spread to the lining of your tummy (peritoneum).
TNM stages
TNM stands for tumour, node and metastasis. In the TNM staging system, stage 4A is the same as:
- any T, any N, M1a
Stage 4B is the same as:
- any T, any N, M1b
Stage 4C is the same as:
- any T, any N, M1c
Treatment for stage 4 large bowel (colon) cancer
Your doctor might recommend:
- surgery
- chemotherapy
- radiotherapy
- targeted cancer drugs
Treatment for stage 4 cancer of the back passage (rectal)
Your doctor might recommend:
- surgery
- chemotherapy
- radiotherapy
- chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy (chemoradiotherapy)
- targeted cancer drugs
