Cancer Staging

Once cancer is found, more tests will be conducted to find out if cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body. This testing is called staging. The doctor needs to know the stage of the disease to plan treatment. The higher the stage, the more advanced the cancer. Stage combines tumor extent, size, and grade. The more different the cancer cells look from normal cells, the higher the grade. The following general stages are used in cancer:

• Stage I
  The cancer cells look very much like normal cells in that they are well-differentiated. The cancer is small (less than 5 centimeters in size, about 2 inches), but it has not spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body. Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped structures that are found throughout the body; they produce and store tumor- and infection-fighting cells.
  
• Stage II
  The cancer cells look somewhat different from normal cells in that they are moderately well-differentiated. The cancer may be more than 5 centimeters, but it has not spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body.
  
• Stage III
  The cancer cells look very different from normal cells in that they are poorly differentiated or undifferentiated. The cancer can be less than or more than 5 centimeters, and it may have spread to lymph nodes.
  
• Stage IV
  The cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs, skeleton, or lymph nodes.

Contact us!

Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Oncology
Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Institute
Medical Center East, South Tower, Suite 4200
Nashville, TN 37232-8774

615-343-8612
615-343-1028 (Fax)
marla.johnson@vanderbilt.edu