Stage the Disease

With any cancer diagnosis, Dr. Alkaddoumi says care teams will take your full health history, perform a physical exam and conduct any imaging exams needed. Then, based on the full picture of your health, they will stage the cancer.

To do this, most clinicians use the TNM staging system, in which:

• “T” stands for tumor. The care team looks for the primary tumor and evaluates how large it is, then they score this aspect on a scale of 1 to 4.
• “N” stands for nodes. The care team examines if the tumor has spread to nearby lymph nodes and score this aspect on a scale of 0 to 3.
• “M” stands for metastasis. The care team determines if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. They then score this aspect as a 0 or 1, with 1 meaning that the cancer has spread (metastasized).

Dr. Alkaddoumi explains that once a care team learns the TNM numbers of a cancer occurrence, they use that information to designate the group staging number. Stage 0 would mean precancerous cells are present. Stages 1 through 3 mean that cancer is present, with each increasing number indicating both a larger tumor and that it has further spread into nearby tissue. Stage 4 indicate that the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

If a cancer has spread to other parts of the body, it still is considered the form of cancer where it first appeared. For example, if lung cancer has spread to the liver, it’s called metastatic lung cancer and not liver cancer.

Understand the Implications

Generally speaking, the stage of a cancer reflects your prognosis (the likely outcome or course of a disease). However, a diagnosis of a more advanced stage of cancer might not have the life-limiting implications it once did, Dr. Alkaddoumi explains. In fact, some patients with metastatic cancer can live happy, fulfilled lives for many years with proper treatment and monitoring.

If you have questions about survivorship or the prognosis related to a specific cancer diagnosis, talk to your care team.

No matter the type of cancer, early detection is key, explains. Dr. Alkaddoumi.

“When you visit your primary care clinician, bring up screenings to see what you might be at risk for,” he says. “Overviewing your health history with your care team can help them get the best overall view of your health.”