Diagnosis and Staging of Cancer

Running head: CANCER 1
Cancer
Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Diagnosis and Staging of Cancer
Cancer is a lethal disease and has been ranked as the leading death-causing disease. If the
disease is diagnosed on time, treatment commences immediately and the chances of recovery are
usually high. Staging on the other side plays significant role in determining the chances of
survival for a patient diagnosed with cancer. It is also significant in determining the treatment
plans that best suits an individual. Clinical trials that are also determined depending on the stage
of cancer. This essay is therefore a comprehensive inscription of how cancer is diagnosed and
staged, the complications that arise out of cancer ailment and its subsequent treatment, and the
various methods of easing psychological and physical effects associated with cancer and its
treatment.
In many instances, cancer is diagnosed by a professional after a comprehensive analysis
of tissues or cell samples using a microscope (American-Cancer-Society, 2015). Tests can also
be conducted on cell’s DNA, proteins, and RNA and ascertain the presence or absence of cancer.
The procedure of taking out a piece of suspected lump or sample from the human body to
conduct cancer tests is called biopsy. The samples that are collected are known as Biopsy
Specimens. The entire testing process is known as Pathology. The process of determining the
extent of cancer infection and its actual location of infection is called staging (American-Cancer-
Society, 2015). Information obtained is crucial in determining the treatment to be accorded to a
person and to predict a person’s outlook. However, staging is not possible for all types of cancer.
Leukemia for example, is usually spread in the entire body. Cancers that form tumors are
however staged easily. During the staging process, doctors begin by checking at the main tumor
to determine its location, size, and if its growth has affected the nearby areas. Nearby lymph
nodes are also checked to see if cancer has spread to them. Other body parts are also checked to

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find out whether cancer has spread to them. If it has spread to parts further from the primary
tumor, it is called Metastasis.
There are two major types of staging. Clinical staging estimates the extent of cancer
infection by basing on results from imaging tests e.g. CT scans and X-Rays, tumor biopsies, and
physical examinations and/or blood tests. Pathologic staging, on the other hand, involves
surgeries. Results from tests and exams mentioned for clinical staging are boosted by results
obtained from surgical operations. There are also different types of staging systems. The most
commonly used to stage a majority of cancer types is called the TNM system (American-Cancer-
Society, 2015).
In the TNM system, T indicates the primary tumor, N indicates Nodes and articulates
whether the disease has spread to lymph nodes near the primary tumor, M stands for Metastasis.
It communicates whether cancer has spread to body parts further from the primary tumor.
Information relating to the primary tumor is given in the T category as follows;
 TX indicates that the tumor is unmeasurable.
 T0 signifies lack of evidence of a primary tumor.
 Tis tells that the growth of cancer cells is only on the most superficial tissue layer without
with no signs of them into the deeper tissues.
 Digits after T, for example, T1, T2, and T3 are used in describing the size of the tumor
and/or its degree of growth into other tissues. Higher T values signify higher growth.
The degree of how much cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes is described by the N
category as follows;
 NX indicates that evaluation of nearby lymph nodes is not possible.