What is grading of cancer? After the determination is made as to
the type of cancer, the cancer is graded--a measurement of how
aggressive the tumor is. Most cancer cells are graded by how
much they look like normal cells. Grading is done in the lab
using cancer cells taken during biopsy. Cancers are usually
graded from low to high. Low-grade cancers look more like normal
tissue under the microscope. High-grade tumors look very
abnormal and are generally more aggressive with a poor outcome.
What is staging of cancer? Once cancer is diagnosed, more tests
will be done to find out the size of the tumor and whether the
cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body. This
testing is called staging. To plan treatment, a doctor needs to
know the stage of the disease. Stage refers to the extent, or
the size, of the cancer and whether it has spread from where it
started. Each cancer, by organ, has its own staging system. In
most cases, stage is labeled with zero and Roman numerals I
through IV, with stage IV bein