What is the difference between stage1 and stage 2 cancer

Stage 0 to stage IV One common system that many people are aware of puts cancer on a scale of 0 to IV. The higher the stage number, the larger the tumor and the more it has spread. Stage IV cancer has spread to distant areas of the body. T0: Main tumor cannot be found.

T is , or T in situ: The tumor is still within the confines of the normal glands and cannot metastasize. The higher the number after the T, the larger the tumor or the more it has grown into nearby tissues. T's may be further divided to provide more detail, such as T3a and T3b. Regional lymph nodes N Lymphatic fluid transports immune system cells throughout the body.

NX: Cancer in nearby lymph nodes cannot be measured. N0: There is no cancer in nearby lymph nodes. N1, N2, N3: Refers to the number and location of lymph nodes that contain cancer. The higher the number after the N, the more lymph nodes that contain cancer. Distant metastasis M Metastasis is the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.

MX: Metastasis cannot be measured. M0: Cancer has not spread to other parts of the body. M1: Cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Sentinel lymph node biopsy: What cancer patients should know.

What is a sentinel lymph node biopsy? What happens during a sentinel lymph node biopsy? What are the benefits of sentinel lymph node biopsy? What are the risks of a sentinel lymph node biopsy? Read More. Help EndCancer. Give Now. Your gift will help make a tremendous difference.

Hodgkin lymphoma uses the Cotswold staging system. Multiple myeloma uses the International and the Durie-Salmon staging systems. Doctors use the TNM description to assign an overall stage from 0 to 4 for many types of cancer. Generally, the higher the number, the more the cancer has spread. Sometimes stages are subdivided using the letters A, B and C.

When describing the stage, doctors may use the words local, localized, regional, locally advanced, distant, advanced or metastatic. Local and localized mean that the cancer is only in the organ where it started and has not spread to other parts of the body. Regional and locally advanced mean close to or around the organ.

Distant, advanced and metastatic mean in a part of the body farther from the organ. The TNM description includes information about the size of the tumour, what tissues in an organ have cancer, whether the cancer has spread and where it has spread. Other factors that are used to determine the stage for some types of cancer include: grade cancer cell type such as adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma tumour marker levels such as PSA in men with prostate cancer genetic information about the cancer such as which genes are mutated age.

If a stage 2 cancer comes back recurs after it is treated, it is still stage 2 cancer that has recurred. And if the cancer has spread to a distant part of the body after it is treated, it is still stage 2 cancer but it is metastatic.

This is important because the stage at diagnosis is used to study survival statistics and treatments for specific stages of cancer. Restaging helps doctors plan further treatment when cancer comes back or gets worse after the initial treatment. But a tumour initially staged as a T2 may be described as a T3 or T4 if the cancer has grown larger or grown into nearby tissues. This may be found with further tests after treatment. Home Cancer information What is cancer?

Stage and grade Staging. Staging cancer. See topics What is cancer? For example, brain cancer is usually graded rather than staged, based on factors including:. As with stages, there are specific criteria to define grades for different types of cancer.

Below, find what the different grades mean in general. At times, chemotherapy or other drug therapies may also be a part of stage 2 cancer treatment. Below, find stage 2 cancer treatment options for the five most common cancers. Stage 2 breast cancer treatment: Stage 2 breast cancer tends to be most commonly treated with surgery—a lumpectomy or mastectomy —and radiation treatment afterward. During the surgery, doctors check the nearby lymph nodes for cancer, too.

Most patients also have medication as part of their treatment plan: either chemotherapy, breast cancer targeted therapy , hormone therapy or a combination. Stage 2 lung cancer treatment: Stage 2 lung cancer is typically treated with surgery. Some people may also have chemotherapy after surgery.

However, stage 2 cancers are more likely to spread without treatment than stage 1 cancers. Treatment options may include surgery, surgery followed by radiation, radiation only, or radiation with hormone therapy. Stage 2 colorectal cancer treatment: Stage 2 colon cancer is most commonly treated with surgery to remove the part of the colon affected by cancer and to repair the colon.

Stage 2 rectal cancer treatment may include several steps, done in a different order for different people. A treatment plan for stage 2 rectal cancer may look like: chemotherapy and radiation chemoradiation , then surgery, then chemotherapy again. Stage 2 melanoma treatment: Stage 2 melanoma is typically treated with surgery.

Additionally, doctors may do a sentinel lymph node biopsy SLNB to check for cancer in the nearby lymph nodes. If cancer is found, treatment may include immunotherapy or targeted therapy, or doctors may recommend monitoring the lymph nodes through regular ultrasounds before pursuing other treatment. This stage describes cancer in situ. In situ means "in place. They have not spread to nearby tissues.

This stage of cancer is often curable. Surgery can usually remove the entire tumor. Stage I. This stage is usually a cancer that has not grown deeply into nearby tissues. It also has not spread to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body. It is often called early-stage cancer. In general, these 2 stages are cancers that have grown more deeply into nearby tissue.

They may have also spread to lymph nodes but not to other parts of the body. Stage IV. This stage means that the cancer has spread to other organs or parts of the body.

It may be also called advanced or metastatic cancer. The stage of a cancer given at the time of diagnosis and initial treatments does not change. This is so doctors can understand a person's medical progress, help understand the prognosis, and learn how treatment affects many people.

However, if the cancer comes back or spreads, restaging can be done. This is described with a small "r. Usually some of the same tests that were done when the cancer was first diagnosed will be done again. After this, the doctor can assign the cancer a restage or "r stage. The TNM staging is mainly used to describe cancers that form solid tumors, such as breast, colon, and lung cancers. Doctors use other staging systems to classify other types of cancer, such as:.

Central nervous system tumors brain tumors. Cancerous brain tumors do not normally spread outside the brain and spinal cord. Therefore, only the "T" description of the TNM system applies. No single staging system exists for central nervous system tumors. Learn more about brain tumor staging and prognostic factors. Childhood cancers. The TNM system does not include childhood cancers. Doctors stage most childhood cancers using systems that are specific to that cancer.

Blood cancers. The TNM system does not describe blood cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma. That is because they usually do not form solid tumors. Each blood cancer has its own staging system. Are biomarkers used in determining the stage of my cancer or in defining my treatment?

If so, what are those biomarkers, what are the results, and what does that mean? Stages of Cancer Approved by the Cancer. Why does cancer stage matter? Doctors can also use staging to: Understand the chance that the cancer will come back or spread after the original treatment.