Grading and staging of bone cancer
Knowing the stage and grade of the cancer helps the doctors to decide on the most appropriate treatment.
Grading
Grading describes the appearance of the cancer cells under the microscope. The grade gives an idea of how quickly the cancer may develop. The most common grading system for bone cancer uses two grades: low-grade and high-grade.
Low-grade means that the cancer cells look very like normal bone cells. They are usually slow-growing and are less likely to spread. In high-grade tumours the cells look very abnormal. They are likely to grow more quickly and are more likely to spread.
Staging
The stage of a cancer describes its size and whether it has spread. The stages of bone cancer are also based on the grade of the cancer.
Stage 1 The cancer is low-grade and hasn’t spread beyond the bone. This can be further divided into:
Stage 1A The cancer is low-grade and is still completely inside the bone in which it started. The cancer may be pressing on the bone wall and causing a swelling, but has not grown through it.
Stage 1B The cancer is low-grade and has grown through the bone wall.
Stage 2 The cancer is high-grade and hasn’t spread beyond the bone. This can be further divided into:
Stage 2A The cancer is high-grade and is still completely inside the bone in which it started.
Stage 2B The cancer is high-grade and has grown through the bone wall.
Stage 3 The bone cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs.
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