What do cancer stages and grades mean? (2024)

FAQs

What do cancer stages and grades mean? ›

The stage of a cancer describes the size of a tumour and how far it has spread from where it originated. The grade describes the appearance of the cancerous cells.

The T refers to the size and extent of the main tumor. The main tumor is usually called the primary tumor. The N refers to the number of nearby lymph nodes that have cancer. The M refers to whether the cancer has metastasized. This means that the cancer has spread from the primary tumor to other parts of the body.

Stage 4 is the most severe stage of cancer. Metastatic cancer is another name for this stage. It conveys that the cancer has metastasized — spread to distant areas of the body. Cancer is a group of diseases that cause rapid cell growth.

Low-grade cancer cells look more like normal cells and tend to grow and spread more slowly than high-grade cancer cells. Cancer grade may be used to help plan treatment and determine prognosis. Low-grade cancers usually have a better prognosis than high-grade cancers and may not need treatment right away.

Tumor grade is not the same thing as cancer stage. Stage refers to how large a cancer tumor is and how far the cancer has spread. See Cancer Staging to learn more.

Although the overall prognosis may be poor based on cases with previous patients and older treatments, many patients with stage 4 cancer can live for years. A few factors to keep in mind: Many treatments are available to help fight cancer.

There are effective treatments for many stage 3 cancers. Some stage 3 cancers can be successfully treated, but they are more likely to return after going away.

Stage 2 cancer is a bit more serious than stage 1 cancer, but with early treatment, patients can be completely cured of the disease. The recurrence rate is also low if treated immediately. However, cancer is a highly progressive disease that spreads at an increased rate.

The grade gives your doctor some idea of how the cancer might behave. A low grade cancer is likely to grow more slowly and be less likely to spread than a high grade one. Doctors can't be certain exactly how the cells will behave. But the grade is a useful indicator.

What grade is aggressive cancer? ›

Cancer grades

grade 1 – cancer cells that resemble normal cells and aren't growing rapidly. grade 2 – cancer cells that don't look like normal cells and are growing faster than normal cells. grade 3 – cancer cells that look abnormal and may grow or spread more aggressively.

When cancer has metastasized to stage IV, treatments are rarely curative, although there are exceptions. Most treatment options are palliative and intended only to reduce pain and make the patient comfortable as opposed to eliminating the disease. Not all stage IV cancers are terminal, however.

Stage 4 cancer isn't usually curable, but treatment may improve overall survival and quality of life. Treatment options and survival rates for stage 4 cancer greatly depend on the type of cancer, how well it responds to treatment, a person's overall health, and several other factors.

Many patients with stage 1 cancer live for years as long as the cancer is treated and managed. A few factors to keep in mind: Many treatments are available to help fight cancer. The body's response to treatment may differ from other patients' experience.

Grade and differentiation are basically the same but grading is a standardized way of measuring differentiation. Like the grade, a tumour's level of differentiation can change over time and different areas in a tumour can have different levels of differentiation.

Doctors can't be certain exactly how the cells will behave. But the grade is a useful indicator. Doctors sometimes look at the cancer grade to help stage the cancer. The stage of a cancer describes how big the cancer is and whether it has spread or not.

Low-grade cancers tend to grow slowly and are less likely to spread. Cancers that are well-differentiated are low grade. High-grade cancers have cells that look very different from normal cells and are arranged differently. They tend to grow more quickly and are more likely to spread.

High-grade cancer cells tend to grow and spread more quickly than low-grade cancer cells. Cancer grade may be used to help plan treatment and determine prognosis. High-grade cancers usually have a worse prognosis than low-grade cancers and may need treatment right away or treatment that is more aggressive (intensive).