Cancer Staging System

Cancer staging is a way doctors describe how advanced a cancer is, helping determine the best treatment and prognosis. The most common system, called TNM staging, looks at three factors: T (Tumor size and extent), N (Lymph node involvement), and M (presence of metastasis or spread to other parts of the body). Stages range from I (early, localized cancer) to IV (advanced, spread cancer). Accurate staging helps guide treatment decisions and provides useful information about a patient’s outlook.