If you are wondering about cancer stages, read on! Here, we will discuss what each stage means and how it will affect your treatment. Your doctor may order x-rays, lab tests, or both. Depending on the type of cancer, these may be necessary in order to assess the cancer. You can learn more about these tests in our section on cancer stages. Listed below are the main stages of cancer. You can also view more detailed descriptions of these stages.
Cancer staging describes the extent of a tumour and its spread when it is first diagnosed. It includes factors such as size, organs affected, and whether it has spread. Cancer that is localized is often treated with surgery and radiation, while cancer that has spread to distant organs may require chemotherapy and immunotherapy. In general, a cancer is treated as early as possible, but it can also progress quickly to reach later stages. For this reason, it is important to know what stage your cancer is at when it is first diagnosed.
Some types of cancer do not have a stage, and are simply labeled as “in-situ.” These are still localized and easily treated. Most healthcare providers consider cancer in stage zero to be pre-cancerous. Cancer that has spread to lymph nodes or other areas is considered metastatic. Cancer in stage zero can occur in several different types, and it’s important to know what each one is. It can occur in your uterus, ovary, or a lymph node.
T stands for tumour. This indicates the size of the primary tumour and whether or not it has spread to other parts of the organ or tissues surrounding it. T can also be a clinical or pathological stage. Clinical stage refers to the size of the tumour, but pathological stage refers to its depth and spread to other organs. However, in some cases, the tumour may have spread deeper than the primary one. And the higher the number of T, the more advanced the cancer is.
The staging of cancer is often referred to as the TNM system. The American Joint Committee on Cancer and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) use the TNM system to divide cancers into stages. If the cancer has spread to lymph nodes, it’s considered stage one, or T2. This is when the cancer is T2 N1 M0. Cancer in stage 3 usually spreads to the lymph nodes and surrounding tissues.
Non-small-cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer and is formally staged from one to four. In 2018, the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) issued a new staging system, the TNM, which is used to define cancer stages. Stage IA is the same as T1a, while stage IB is equivalent to T2a. Further AJCC stage groupings are used only between cancer care team members.
