The staging of cancers is the extent of spread of the neoplasm. Grading is the system used to record the tumors degree of differentiation from the parent tissue.
High grade lesions shows little differentiation and may convey a worse prognosis depending on tumor type.
As a general rule, cancer stage (using AJCC criteria) dictates ultimate prognosis.
The criteria for staging differ based on organ system. For example, the colon and bladder cancer staging system relies on depth of invasion. Breast and lung staging is more dependent on size.
While renal carcinoma staging is based on both size and invasion into the renal sinus. Accurate staging is reliant on clinical, radiographic, and pathologic data.
The UICC/AJCC TNM system is often used, however for some common tumors, classic staging methods (such as the Dukes classification for colon cancer) are still used.
Further Reading
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"Carcinoma"
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