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- Cancer Stages and Grading
Cancer Stages and Grading
Understanding cancer staging and grading
Being told you have cancer can bring up many questions. Your healthcare team may use the words stage and grade when talking about your diagnosis. These words help them understand more about the cancer and recommend the treatment that is most suitable for you.
What do stage and grade mean?
Stage describes the size of the cancer, where it is and whether it has spread.
Grade describes how the cancer cells look under a microscope. This may give your healthcare team an idea of how quickly the cancer could grow.
Stage and grade are not the same. Your doctor or specialist nurse will explain which systems apply to your type of cancer and what your results mean for you.
How your healthcare team finds out more
You may need more tests after your diagnosis. The tests depend on the type of cancer and may include:
- scans
- blood tests
- a biopsy, where a small sample of tissue or cells is removed
- bone marrow tests
- surgery to remove or examine a tumour.
Your doctor or specialist nurse should explain which tests you need, when they will happen and when you can expect the results. It is okay to ask questions if anything is unclear.
Understanding cancer stages
Different cancers use different staging systems. Many use numbers from 1 to 4:
- Stage 1 usually means the cancer is small and has not spread to another part of the body.
- Stages 2 and 3 usually mean the cancer is larger or has spread into nearby tissue or lymph nodes.
- Stage 4 usually means the cancer has spread to another part of the body. You may also hear this called advanced, metastatic or secondary cancer.
Your team may also use the TNM system:
- T (tumour) describes the size of the tumour or the area it affects.
- N (nodes) describes whether nearby lymph nodes contain cancer cells.
- M (metastasis) describes whether the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
Understanding cancer grades
A pathologist, who is a doctor trained to examine cells and tissue, looks at a sample from a biopsy or surgery under a microscope. For cancers that use a three-grade system:
- Grade 1 (low grade) cells look more like normal cells and usually grow more slowly.
- Grade 2 (intermediate grade) cells look more abnormal and may grow more quickly.
- Grade 3 (high grade) cells look very different from normal cells and may grow more quickly.
Some cancers use different grading systems. For example, prostate cancer may use the Gleason scoring system. Grade is important when planning treatment for some cancers, but not for every cancer.
How treatment is planned
When your test results are ready, a group of healthcare professionals called a multidisciplinary team (MDT) will review them alongside information about your general health. They will agree a recommended treatment plan.
A member of your specialist team will then talk with you about the results, the possible treatments and what happens next. You should have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss what matters to you.
Questions you may want to ask
- What stage and grade is my cancer?
What do these results mean for me? - Do I need any more tests?
- When will I receive my results?
- What treatment is being recommended, and why?
- Who should I contact if I have questions or concerns?
You may find it helpful to write down your questions or take someone with you to appointments.
Information and support
You do not have to manage everything on your own. Your cancer doctor, specialist nurse and wider healthcare team are there to support you. Please ask questions and share any worries you have.
For information, advice or someone to talk to, call the Macmillan Support Line free on 0808 808 00 00.
You can also visit the Macmillan Information and Support Pod. The drop-in service is open Monday to Thursday, 9.00am to 4.00pm, and Friday, 9.00am to 12.30pm.
Further information from Macmillan: