Cancer Stages

Cancer stages form an important part of cancer research as well as cancer treatment. They are the preliminary indicators of the severity of tumors and act as good pointers for the right kind of treatment. Thorough cancer diagnosis is extremely important to identify the right stage of the disease.

Why Cancer Stages are Important?

Cancer is a kind of disorder that develops gradually and in a phased manner. Tumors may not be equally destructive in all the stages. In the initial period, the malignant cells concentrate on rapid cell division and growth. Then, they focus on making the healthy tissues and cells malfunctioned. These infected cells increase their scope in a systematic manner and ensure that the adjacent cells and tissues are vulnerable to abnormality.

After reaching a certain level, these abnormal cells form lumps and block certain part of the organ they infect. These lumps or malignant polyps later divide from the parent tumor and spread to other organs or areas. They make the use of lymph nodes and bloodstream to infect remote areas. Such process is commonly known as metastasis and may increase the severity of the disease to a considerable extent.

Metastasized tumors are difficult to eliminate and need to be exposed to harmful chemicals or radiations. Such exposure may also cause permanent harm to the victim. Hence, detecting cancer in the early stages is vital for proper diagnosis and reliable treatment.

Basic Cancer Stages

Stage 0 is the most initial or basic stage of cancer. It is not a severe one as the tumors have just begun to develop. This stage is also called carcinoma in situ and the disease is completely curable at this level.

Stage 1 is the actual initialization of cell abnormality. Tumor size is restricted to 2 cm and surgery is the most common treatment to eliminate polyps.

Stage 2 is a bit advanced phase wherein the malignant cells begin to spread to local areas. Their size varies between 2-5 cm and they can be easily tackled by surgery.

Stage 3 is a serious phase as the tumors begin to grow and metastasize rapidly. They do not necessarily restrict to local areas and may infect many other adjacent areas. Tumor-size is higher than 5cm and they may attack the lymph nodes.

Stage 4 is the final phase wherein the polyps attack the lymph nodes and spread to various parts of the body. They are hard to eliminate completely and can only be controlled.  

Cancer stages should be identified thoroughly as any wrong diagnosis may directly impact the quality and output of treatment. Also, the chances of recurrence of tumors are directly related to the stage in which a patient undergoes treatment.