| Because staging the cancer can take some time | | | | whether the tumor has spread into areas nearby. |
| patients are anxious to drop the process and | | | | • Whether the cancer has grown/spread into |
| directly begin treatment. Stage 4 Brain Cancer | | | | the lymph nodes. |
| Survival Rate But the fact is that determining | | | | • Whether the cancer has grown/spread to |
| cancer stages automatically helps your health care | | | | other distant areas of the patient's body. |
| team and you to know the exact position of your | | | | Lung Cancer Secrets Revealed Click here |
| cancer and determine which cancer treatment is | | | | Cancers like leukemia cannot be staged like this as |
| suitable or the best for you. | | | | they are spread in all parts of the body through |
| What is staging: | | | | the blood. In the same way brain cancers are also |
| Staging is generally a process whereby one can | | | | not staged using the normal TNM system as they |
| find out the precise cancer stages in relation to | | | | disrupt body and brain functions even before they |
| growth, location and type. The information is then | | | | spread. |
| used by the doctors in order to plan the best | | | | Different information about a particular type of |
| treatment for the patient and predict the | | | | cancer is gathered by the doctor before |
| prognosis. In this way certain cancers at the | | | | determining cancer stages. Staging would |
| same stage would be treated in a similar manner. | | | | therefore depend on the location of the cancer |
| These stages of cancer are also ways for | | | | which can be done by physical examination, CT |
| doctors to refer to the extent of cancers in | | | | scans, MRIs, X-rays etc. It is necessary to |
| particular patients. | | | | perform biopsies (removal of tumors or pieces of |
| It is very important to know details about stages | | | | cancerous tumors) to confirm whether they are |
| in cancer especially as doctors have to know the | | | | benign or malignant. These samples are removed |
| location of the cancer in the body and the amount | | | | during surgery or biopsy procedures that are less |
| of cancer present in the body so as to ensure | | | | invasive. |
| that the patient gets the best treatment possible. | | | | Types of determining stages or "staging |
| For example, if a patient's breast cancer has been | | | | procedures": |
| detected early, then the best treatment for her | | | | • Clinical Staging: Done during "diagnosis" before |
| would be either surgery or radiation. But if the | | | | any type of treatment is administered. |
| breast cancer has been detected at an advanced | | | | • Pathologic Staging: Done on patients who |
| stage the treatment would be chemotherapy. By | | | | have undergone surgery to either take out the |
| studying the cancer stages doctors can also | | | | cancer or to determine the amount of cancer in |
| predict the course that the cancer will most likely | | | | the body. |
| take. | | | | • Restaging: Done if the cancer recurs (comes |
| These stages are based to ascertain the following | | | | back) after treatment to find out the extent and |
| three factors: | | | | helps to decide the best treatment. |
| • The size of the primary/original tumor and | | | | |