When cancer is diagnosed the doctor will go through steps to figure out the stage of the cancer. Cancer stages are used to help doctors form a treatment plan and to help patients understand the extent of their cancer and the prognosis. Staging cancer may seem confusing, but it is actually not that difficult to understand.
Identifying Staging
Cancer stages are determined through a process called staging. Staging determines the severity of the cancer. It is based on the extent of the cancer and how much it has spread in the body. Doctors will perform additional tests to check the body for cancer and to get a good idea of where the cancer is, where it began and if it is spreading.
The Importance of Staging
Staging can help in lots of methods. It’s the essential part of the process to determine how to cure cancer. Also, it’s useful for future in researching and understanding of how the cancer in the body reacts. Following are the major reasons why staging is essential:
• Helps find out the treatment plan
• Helps in finding out a lung cancer prognosis
• Useful in research studies
Elements of Staging
Staging is done by looking at different factors. In order to help maintain a level of consistency for staging there are certain elements that are included when determining cancer stages. These elements include:
• Location of the beginning of the cancer
• Size and number of tumors
• Type of cell and grade of the tumor
• Extent of metastasis
The Systems of Staging
Lung cancer stages are identified on the basis of a system of staging. The most frequently used system is the TNM system. TNM stands for:
T stands for Tumor
N stands for Lymph Nodes
M stands for Metastasis
Every letter receives a number added to it to signify the level of the cancer regarding the tumor, lymph nodes and metastasis. The range numbers is from 0 to 4, with 0 being representative of none and 4 being the highest stage of cancer.
In general, cancer stages are based upon a simple five stage chart. Here is how that looks:
Stage 0: Only early or pre-cancerous cells are present
Stage 1, 2 and 3: Cancer is present and maybe has spread in the specified area
Stage 4: Cancer has spread elsewhere in the body
Knowing the cancer stage is sometimes difficult, however it’s essential. Someone who receives a cancer diagnosis in stage 1 can know that the cancer is easier to cure and as a result the prognosis is probably good.