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Stages of Cancer: Why It Matters for Treatment Planning
By Raveena M Prakash
Cancer is a complex and complicated disease that affects millions of people across the world every year. Understanding the stages of cancer is crucial to learning more about available treatment options, chances of recovery, and prognosis. There are different types of cancer stages, starting from stage 0 to stage 4, and their treatment options, symptoms, and recovery chances are different from patient to patient. Cancer staging is essential to understand what to expect during the cancer treatment, to make some informed decisions, and to discover the prognosis and success rates of recovery.
In this blog, we’ll look more into the importance of cancer staging in treatments and the TNM staging system!
What is cancer staging
Cancer staging is a process of measuring the extent of cancer growths in a patient. Oncologists often perform staging procedures to diagnose and treat cancer. Patients often get intimidated while discovering the stages of their cancer with a number or a grade. The small number on your report suggests a less aggressive cancer growth.
How is cancer staged?
An oncologist performs some procedures to stage cancer while focusing on some significant factors.
These may include:
- Tumor size and growth
- Tumor location
- Cancer’s spread beyond its original site
There are some different cancer staging systems used to analyse, diagnose and treat cancer in people.
Cancer stages by size and growth
In cancer care, oncologists often use number systems to stage cancer in patients.
The stages of cancer are:
Stage 0 (Carcinoma in situ): This is the initial stage of cancer, where abnormal cells haven’t spread beyond the place where cancer originally started. Stage 0 is also known as precancerous cells. Most of these types of cancers are considered highly curable in nature.
Stage I : In this stage, the tumor is small and contained to one area. The cancer hasn’t spread to nearby lymph nodes or other areas of the body. This stage of cancer is also known as localized cancer. The tumor hasn’t spread to any nearby tissues.
Stage II : In stage 2, the tumor has grown larger in size. It has the potential to spread to any nearby lymph nodes. The cancer has also grown more deeply into any nearby tissues. Stage 2, also referred to as early locally advanced cancer.
Stage III : Stage 3 cancer is also known as locally advanced cancer. The tumor has grown deeper into surrounding tissues and has potentially spread to nearby lymph nodes.
Stage IV : In this stage, the cancer has spread outside of the original site. This is also known as metastasis. This stage of cancer is also known as metastatic advanced cancer. In this stage, the cancer has spread to distant organs or parts of the body, which requires immediate care and attention.
Cancer stages by Location
In cancer staging, the oncologists often refer to the cancer stage by its location. These may include:
- In situ: The cancer is similar to stage 0 cancers. In this stage, there are some abnormal cells present, also called precancerous cells. However, these cells haven’t spread beyond their original location.
- Localised: Cancerous cells are present in this stage. However, they haven’t spread beyond the primary tumor, where the cancer spread initially.
- Regional: The cancer cells often spread from the primary tumor to nearby tissues, lymph nodes, or organs.
- Distant: Cancer cells often start to spread from the primary tumor to more distant areas of the body.
- Unknown: There’s not enough information to determine the stage of cancer in people.
TNM Staging of cancer
The TNM staging system is a standard staging system used to describe the extent of cancer growths in patients.
This system often uses three categories:
- T (Tumor): It used to describe the primary tumor. The T denotes the size of the tumor according to the physical assessment, imaging, and endoscopy results.
- N (Nodes): It describes cancer spread in the nodes (lymph nodes); the N describes the size, location, or number of lymph nodes affected by cancer.
- M (Metastasis): It describes the presence of metastasis, the spread of the cancer to the other parts of the body.
Importance of cancer staging in cancer care
Cancer staging is a significant part of cancer diagnosis and treatment. It provides more valuable information about the cancer’s extent and spread in patients. Understanding the several stages of cancer provides patients and healthcare practitioners the knowledge to manage the disease effortlessly with the help of effective cancer treatments and care.
Other factors involved in cancer staging
There are some other factors that influence cancer staging in cancer patients.
These may include:
- Patient’s age and gender
- Tumor location
- Type of cell or tissue (where cancer is growing)
What are the tests used to determine cancer stages
There are some significant screening tests used to identify cancer stages in patients.
These may include:
- Computed tomography (CT) scan: CT scans are used to determine the early stages of cancer and its location in patients.
- PET scan: PET CT scan is another significant test used to check the spread of tumors in distant areas of the body.
- Endoscopy: A healthcare provider inserts a thin tube into hollow organs. The goal is to analyze the inside of the organs and any signs of cancer.
- Biopsy: A healthcare provider usually collects a tissue sample, which can check for any signs of cancer in people.
- Blood tests for cancer: Tumor markers are an important substance found in the blood. It can help healthcare practitioners to determine the size of the tumor and extent of cancer in the body.
Consult Today
Discovering the current stage of cancer gives clarity about cancer treatments to the patients and their families. However, understanding the stage of cancer often makes the patients emotional and overwhelming. Remember, each stage of cancer has its individual variety of treatment options and chances of recovery and hope.
At Oncare, we value the importance of early diagnosis of cancer and cancer prevention and that’s why we offer different types of staging tests at affordable price packages. We offer high-quality cancer treatments with experienced cancer specialists consultations.
If you or any loved ones of yours are diagnosed with cancer or experiencing any symptoms of cancer, then visit Oncare Cancer Center and book an appointment with our cancer specialists today. Get an estimated cost of cancer treatments today!
Frequently Asked Questions
There are some factors involved in staging cancer in patients.
These may include:
- Patient’s age
- Tumor’s size and location
- Type of cell or tissue where the cancer is growing
This is a common staging system used in cancer treatments. This is a standard system used to describe the spread of cancer in a patient’s body.
- T (primary tumor): This describes the size of the tumor and its spread into any nearby tissues.
- N (node): It describes the spread of the cancer into the nearby lymph nodes.
- M (metastasis): This is often used to describe the metastasis in the patient's body, which shows the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.
The cancer stage won’t change after the diagnosis of your cancer. For example, if you are diagnosed with 3rd stage of cancer and later this cancer has spread into other distant parts of the body, it cannot be called 4th stage cancer, instead it might be called 3rd stage with metastasis.