Hi Janke and a warm welcome to our forum, 

I am so sorry to hear about your mother's bowel cancer diagnosis and that she was not able to have an operation given her age and the fact that she has COPD. You might be interested in reading the information we have on our website on stages, types and grades of bowel cancer but the best person to talk to really to have a clearer idea as to the staging of her cancer would be the medical experts so it might be worth getting in touch with her consultant and asking them whether they could tell you more about staging and whether it is possible for them to know whether it has spread or if further tests would be required to know for sure. I can imagine this situation is extremely upsetting for her and for all the family and that you would want to find out more and not feel left in the dark with regards to staging. It might be that given her age and the fact that it is not possible to operate they are not able to be precise or know for sure what the staging is but it's worth having this conversation with them so that they can tell you more about what to expect. 

Don't hesitate too to talk things through with our cancer nurses - you can reach them on this free number 0808 800 4040. The helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and it might help to contact them for further guidance on how best to deal with this situation.  

Best wishes, 

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator