Stages and Grades of Cancer

Staging and grading are two methods used in determining the severity of a cancer. While other methods exist, these are two of the most common methods used in planning cancer treatment.

Definition

• Staging and grading help evaluate a cancer, and describe its progress and severity. The most common staging technique is TNM. Tumor grade classifies the tumor based on appearance, growth rate and structure of the cancer cells.

TNM Staging: T (Tumor), N (Node) and M (Metastasis)

• TNM staging uses numbers to measure cancer characteristics. Lower numbers indicate less severity or spread. Tumor (T) growth, rated zero to four, refers to the cancer's size. Lymph node (N) involvement, rated zero to three, gauges the cancer's spread to the lymph nodes. Metastasis (M), rated zero or one, indicates if the cancer has spread.

Stage Grouping

• The TNM scores are used to determine the cancer's stage, ranging from zero to four. Stage zero cancers are considered highly curable. Stages one through three indicate increasingly serious cancers. And stage four indicates a cancer spread to other organs.

Tumor Grade

• Tumor grades are determined through biopsy. Grades describe the tumor's aggressiveness by comparing the cancer cells with normal cells. The grades range from one to four, with lower numbers identifying less aggressive tumors more closely resembling normal cells.

Warning

• While these are the most common ways to stage and grade cancers, they are not used on all cancers. Ask your doctor about the staging used on your specific cancer.