Cancer Staging

Staging: the extent or severity of a person’s cancer

Purpose: assists doctors with treatment options estimate the person’s prognosis assist doctors with finding appropriate clinical trials provides common terminology between doctors

Staging systems do vary between cancer types

Common Elements of Staging: Tumor size and number of tumors Lymph node involvement (spread of cancer into lymph nodes)

Cell type and tumor grade(how closely the cancer cells resemble normal tissue cells). The presence or absence of metastasis

TNM Staging T = extent of the tumor (size) N = lymph node involvement M = distant metastasis

TX = tumor cannot be evaluated T0 = no evidence of primary tumor T1 = size and/or extent of primary tumor The number after the “T” indicates size/extent (ex. T1 =tumor less than 2cm)

T1N2M0 = Tumor present (less than 2 cm), some regional lymph nodes involved, no distant metastasis

Staging Stage 0: In Situ – tumor has not moved beyond the initial tissue affected

Stage I, II, or III = higher numbers indicate more extensive disease larger tumor size and/or spread of the cancer beyond the original organ

Stage IV: the cancer has spread to another organ(s)