Staging of cancer


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Staging of cancer


The staging of cancer is a system used to measure how severe the disease is. Tumors get larger and spread to other parts of the body as cancer gets worse.

There are three components to staging:

  • Tumor size (T)
  • Involvement of lymph nodes (N)
  • Whether the tumor has spread (metastasized) from the original site to other parts of the body (M)

This staging system is commonly referred to as the TNM cancer staging system.

Credits


Author Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH
Editor Kathleen M. Ariss, MS
Associate Editor Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Michael Seth Rabin, MD - Medical Oncology
Last Updated October 30, 2007

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Last updated: October 30, 2007
Author: Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH
Reviewed By: Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine, Michael Seth Rabin, MD - Medical Oncology
Editors: Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC

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