This article explains the basics and will help you to understand the difference between clinical and pathological staging. It is important to note that there is no one right way to stage cancer. A cancer staging report will help you decide what type of treatment to receive, whether it be surgery or radiation therapy. But what exactly does cancer staging mean? What factors should you consider before making the final decision? Read on to find out!
Treatment depends on the type of cancer, stage, and location. Although cancers of the same type tend to respond to similar treatments, there are many factors that influence treatment and outcome. The location of the main tumor can affect the overall outlook. In addition to location, the grade and cell type of a cancer can determine how it will respond to various treatments. Cancers in the esophagus are classified into two main types: squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinomas. Fortunately, cancer staging can help doctors differentiate between these two types.
Whether you have cancer in your colon, liver, or breast, it is important to get a proper diagnosis. Your doctor will determine the stage of your cancer by examining it with special equipment. He or she will also examine you physically. Some types of cancer are more likely to respond to chemotherapy than others. And sometimes it can even be difficult for the doctor to determine which treatment will work best. This is where your doctors come in handy. The more information they have, the more accurate treatment options will be.
A committee of doctors was formed to develop an official method for cancer staging and end results reporting. It met its first meeting on September 6, 1958, with Dr. James Mason, the assistant director of the American College of Surgeons. The American Cancer Society funded the Staging Committee. Later, the American Joint Committee for Cancer Staging and End Results Reporting was formed to oversee the process of cancer staging. Its goal is to provide a standard of care to doctors.
Cancer staging has always been difficult for patients with head and neck cancer because the anatomic locations are so diverse. However, these sites lend themselves to adequate clinical assessment through visual inspection and palpation. Additionally, there is less available anatomic data for comprehensive pathologic staging. Documenting locoregional disease is important for surgical decision-making. Therefore, cancer staging should be done carefully and thoroughly. The most recent cancer staging classification includes a new set of criteria for advanced cases.
The use of r-VIBE images for radiologic and pathologic T staging has been compared with postoperative pathologic T staging. The former had the greatest accuracy. However, it is not as reliable as pathologic T staging. In fact, r-VIBE has higher accuracy than postoperative pathologic T staging. Those results are only indicative of the accuracy of pathologic T staging. There are many other methods that could be used for cancer staging, including r-VIBE.
