How long from stage 1 to stage 4 cancer
- what stage is cancer when it spreads
- what stage is cancer when it spreads to lymph nodes
- what stage is cancer when it spreads to the bones
- what stage is cancer when it spreads to the liver
What is stage 5 cancer life expectancy.
Metastatic cancer life expectancyCancer Staging
Stage refers to the extent of your cancer, such as how large the tumor is and if it has spread. Knowing the stage of your cancer helps your doctor
- understand how serious your cancer is and your chances of survival
- plan the best treatment for you
- identify clinical trials that may be treatment options for you
A cancer is always referred to by the stage it was given at diagnosis, even if it gets worse or spreads.
New information about how a cancer has changed over time is added to the original stage. So the stage doesn't change, even though the cancer might.
How Stage Is Determined
To learn the stage of your disease, your doctor may order x-rays, lab tests, and other tests or procedures.
Stage 3 cancer
See the section on How Cancer Is Diagnosed to learn more about these tests.
Systems That Describe Stage
There are many staging systems. Some, such as the TNM staging system, are used for many types of cancer. Others are specific to a particular type of cancer.
Most staging systems include information about
- where the tumor is located in the body
- the size of
- how soon can cancer spread
- can cancer spread in a few weeks