The significance of tumor staging

Author: Han Shengnan Jiaxing Second Hospital

Reviewer: Shen Wenyan, deputy chief physician, Jiaxing Second Hospital

The pathology report of each tumor patient will indicate the "tumor stage". Many patients believe that tumor stage is nothing more than early, middle and late stages. In fact, this is not the case. Tumor stage has complex evaluation criteria and is the result of comprehensive evaluation. So, how should we understand tumor stage? What is the significance of tumor stage for patients?

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What is tumor staging?

Tumor staging is the process of defining the amount and location of a malignant tumor in the body. It describes the severity of a malignant tumor based on the size of the primary tumor and how far the tumor has spread in the body.

What is the significance of tumor staging?

Tumor staging can help clinicians develop reasonable treatment plans; help patients predict prognosis; help evaluate treatment effectiveness; and help different medical institutions exchange and compare clinical data; and is more conducive to promoting cancer research and monitoring.

The patient's tumor stage is determined by analyzing the results of different tests, including physical examination, imaging tests (such as X-ray, CT, MRI, bone scan, PET-CT examination, etc.), laboratory tests (such as blood routine, urine routine, etc.), and biopsy. In some cases, the doctor will perform surgery on the patient to remove the tumor and/or nearby lymph nodes or obtain tissue samples to explore the extent of the tumor, and combine the above test results to give a staging definition.

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For most malignant tumors, the TNM staging system is the most commonly used staging system in the medical field today. The system was originally proposed by Professor Pierre Denoix between 1943 and 1952, and was subsequently developed and maintained by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC). It is updated every 6 to 8 years to incorporate new conclusions drawn by international medical researchers from staging studies.

Therefore, the content and significance of tumor staging are very valuable, and it is not just as simple as early, middle and late stages!