Nanotechnology for colorectal cancer detection and treatment

Table 1 Stages of colorectal cancer development and progression

Stage	Progression	Metastasis
0	Unusual abnormal cells arise from mucosa of the colonic wall, eventually becoming cancerous and known as carcinoma in situ or intramucosal carcinoma	No
I	Cancerous cells spread from the mucosa to submucosa and may also extended until the muscularis propria	No
II
IIA	Cancerous cells spread out from the submucosa to serosa (outermost layer) of the colon wall	No
IIB	Cancerous cells spread through serosa but are not extended to nearby organs	No
IIC	Cancerous cells spread to nearby organs	No
III
IIIA	In the first case, cancerous cells grow through the mucosa into submucosa and also may extended until the muscularis propria. The cancer spread to 1 to 3 nearby lymph nodes or into the areas of fat near lymph nodes but not to distant sites	No
	In the second case, the cancer has spread through the mucosa into submucosa and has spread to 4 to 6 nearby lymph nodes
IIIB	In the first case, cancerous cells have spread through the muscularis propria of colon and/or rectum up to serosa or through the serosa to tissues and visceral peritoneum. They have also spread to 1 to 3 nearby lymph nodes or cancer cells are present in nearby tissues of lymph nodes but have not spread to distant sites	No
	Second case, the cancer has spread into the muscularis propria or into the outermost layers of colon or rectum and has spread to 4 to 6 nearby lymph nodes but not to distant sites
	Third case, the cancer has spread through the mucosa into submucosa and it might also have grown into the muscularis propria of colon and/or rectum and has spread to 7 or more nearby lymph nodes but not to distant sites
IIIC	First case, the cancer has grown through the serosa colon and/or rectum to visceral peritoneum but has not reached nearby organs. It has spread to 4 to 6 nearby lymph nodes but not to distant sites	No
	Second case, the cancer has grown into the outermost layers of the colon and/or rectum or through visceral peritoneum but has not reached nearby organs. It has spread to 7 or more nearby lymph nodes but not to distant sites
	Third case, the cancer has grown through the wall of the colon and/or rectum and is attached to or has grown into other nearby tissues or organs. It has spread to at least one nearby lymph node or into areas of fat near the lymph nodes but not to distant sites
IV
IVA	The cancer has spread to one area or organ that is not near the colon and/or rectum, may be liver, lung, ovary, or a distant lymph node	Yes
IVB	The cancer has spread to more than one area or organ that is not near the colon and/or rectum, such as the liver, lung, ovary, or a distant lymph node	Yes
IVC	The cancer has spread to the tissue that lines the wall of the abdomen and may have spread to other areas or organs	Yes