After the determination is made as to the type of cancer, the cancer is graded - a measurement of how aggressive the tumor is. Most cancer cells are graded by how much they look like normal cells. Grading is done in the lab using cancerous cells taken during biopsy.
Cancers are usually graded from low to high. Low grade cancers look like normal tissue under the microscope. High grade tumors look very abnormal and are generally more aggressive with a poor outcome.
Once cancer is diagnosed, more tests will be done to find out if the cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body. This testing is called staging. To plan treatment, a physician needs to know the stage of the disease. Stage refers to the extent, or the size, of the cancer. Each cancer, by organ, has its own staging system.
Once a stage is assigned and treatment given, the stage is never changed. For example:
If a stage I cancer of the cervix is treated, and two years later a metastasis is found in the lung, it is not now stage IV, but remains a "stage I, with recurrence to the lung." However, some cancers may be re-staged.
The important thing about staging is that it determines the appropriate treatment, provides a prognosis, and allows for comparison of treatment results between different treatments.
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