According to reports, Cancer is one of the largest causes of death across the globe. Cancer has always been a medical condition that affects the body and severely affects the patient’s psychology. With advancing imaging techniques and diagnostic criteria, it has become possible to detect and treat cancer at its early stages. Many people are becoming susceptible to developing cancer with the developing world and changing lifestyles. Cancer, however, is not just a single disease but a broader term to describe different conditions that occur due to abnormal tissue mass. Cancer can develop anywhere in the body. It is an abnormal proliferation of body cells that disrupts the body’s normal physiological functions. 

The question arises: can people with cancer live normal lives? The answer is yes if people are rewarded enough about some common cancer symptoms and causes being diagnosed at early stages, it is very much possible for individuals with cancer to return to normal lives. People who are diagnosed with cancer can and should go for a second opinion to give them peace of mind and a different perspective. Treating the psychology of a patient is much more necessary to take care of before actually treating cancer itself. 

Cancer can be restricted to one region of the body and is often called benign cancer or tumor and is a much mild form of cancer. On the other hand, if cancer spreads to different parts of the body, it is called metastasis and is a much more difficult stage of cancer to be treated. Understanding the stage of cancer and proving much more beneficial when planning a treatment regimen.

What are the Stages of Cancer

Clinicians and doctors talk about the stages of cancer. What are these stages of cancer? And how many stages of cancer are there? What stages of cancer are treatable? To seek the answer to these questions, we must know what the four basic stages of cancer are there. 

Stage 1: It is the stage where cancer is developed in some part of the body as a small tumor or a lump and is localized to one region only. It has not spread to any other region or affected lymph nodes. During this stage, the cancer is said to be benign.

Stage 2: stage 2 is where the tumor or cell mass produced by cancer cells has developed in size, and changes in shape can be detected. This stage has still not seen any increased cell mass spread and is only localized in one region. During this stage, the cancerous cells start dividing rapidly and grow abnormally.

Stage 3: if cancer reaches stage 3, it means the cell mass has grown significantly and has affected nearby lymph nodes. This stage shows the cells have started to spread to a few other regions. 

Stage 4:  It is usually considered the last stage of Cancer, where cancer cells have significantly divided and spread to different parts of the body rapidly. This stage is the most alarming stage and is sometimes called terminal cancer, where the body stops responding to treatment. The prognosis is very poor, and the chances of recovery are really thin.

Cancer can also be divided into 5 stages of cancer or 4 stages of cancer depending upon the type and location of cancer.

Why Do We Need to Classify Cancer Stages?

Cancer is conveniently divided into different stages to look after the progression of the condition and design and formulate appropriate treatment regimens for the betterment of patients.

  • Staging gives you details like location size, site etc. and can help prepare a thorough plan whether the patient requires surgery or needs to go through other treatment options.
  • The need to know the stages of cancer helps the doctor track the condition and predict the prognosis.
  • Stage of cancer and type of cancer help Doctors to understand what treatment they will patient respond most to 
  • Patients sometimes need to be assured that they can be treated and can live happy lives and need to explain that early stages of cancer are treatable and have very low mortality rates. 
  • Clinicians require certain cancer types and total stages of cancer to examine and check the performance of drugs and device drugs that respond better at certain stages of cancer.

Various Methods of Staging

Cancer can be classified using different methods to get a better picture of what’s going on in your body.

TNM criterion is used to classify cancer:

 “T” TUMOUR – refers to the size and mobility of cancer. The size of the cancer is determined by obtaining the diameter of the tumor.

“N” NODE – refers to the lymph node – lymph nodes are small pea-sized structures that constitute immune cells fighting against infection and disease. It examines where the lymph nodes are enlarged, swollen or clustered.   

“M” METASTASIS – refers to the stage where cancer cells spread to different body parts and invade various organs.

Radiological Method of Classification and Staging Cancer:

Radiological procedures simply include the classification, which is based on the reports of radiological imaging like

  • Ultrasound
  • CT Scan 
  • MRI
  • Mammography
  • Isotopic scanning 
  • X-ray scan 

Mammography: Mammography is a device that is used to examine the breast using a low dose of x-ray. It is one of the most significantly used radiological techniques for screening and diagnosing breast cancer in women. It is usually preferred for women after their 30s or 40s.

Ultrasound is a method used to examine the areas where other diagnostic tools fail to provide details. It’s usually used for examining cancers of the lungs, rectum, bladder, liver etc.

CT scan: CT scan is preferred for detecting any tumor mass in the brain or cranium for early cancer detection.

MRI: MRI is used to examine the advanced stages of cancer to detect metastatic sites of cancer and find sites of metastasis.

Factors for the Staging of Cancer

TNM criteria, however, are the most widely used criteria to stage cancer, but there are other significant factors that Doctors consider to produce cancer and come to a diagnosis. These are the grade of cancer, biomarkers, and tumor genetics. These factors play a significant role in some types of cancers and are essential markers in planning the right type of treatment. 

• Grade of Cancer:

The grade of cancer is determined by histopathological study of tissue biopsy obtained from the patient. Histopathology is the study of the cancer tissue under a microscope to determine the type of cancer, i.e. carcinoma, myeloma, sarcoma or lymphoma etc. and the location and site affected by cancer. It shows the site and helps determine how many cancer cells resemble healthy body cells. This process helps to opt for better medications and decide on chemotherapy regimen changes. Cancer grading is called G and is done on ranks of 1 to4:

  1. Grade 1: cancer cells look almost similar to normal cells of the body, have definite cell boundaries, and are well differentiated. This is a very low-grade cancer.
  2. Grade 2: here, cells still have some boundaries and are said to have moderately differentiated and have a little abnormality.
  3. Grade 3: in this grade, cancer cells show clear abnormal structures and are very different from normal body cells, and have no definite boundaries to cells.
  4. Grade 4: This grade shows completely distorted and abnormal cells and is considered the highest grade.
  • The lower the grade of cancer, the better the prognosis and chances of survival. However, it is considered better to plan good and responsive treatment for low-grade cancer.

• Genetics of Cancer:

Certain cancers are linked to genes and passed into generations. Certain gene studies have also shown that some cancers can be treated better if a gene examination is performed to determine a better treatment plan. Your doctor might prescribe a gene test depending on your cancer symptoms and causes, condition, and history of illness.

• Biomarkers:

These are tumor markers or simple parameters of blood and plasma that can help determine any abnormal changes in the body. In addition, certain elevated parameters may suggest cancer and help with early diagnosis.

Treatment Options for Cancer

Why were we talking about the staging of cancer and precision of diagnosis? It was all done by a physician to devise the best treatment protocol for the patient for better outcomes. Different types of cancer are treated with different treatment approaches. After getting diagnosed and the stages of cancer are determined, it is easy to devise the treatment depending upon the condition of the patient.

Here are a few treatment options which are widely used: 

  • Surgery: Surgery is usually performed in the early stages of cancer to get rid of a benign tumor. In some cases, surgery is done after chemotherapy for a better prognosis.
  • Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is preferred during the early or middle stages of cancer, where different drugs like steroids are used to kill or decrease the division of tumor cells. Chemotherapy has its fair share of side effects, which can be overcome later if the prognosis is good.
  • Immunotherapy: This is a type of biological therapy where immune cells are made to fight against tumor cells. It is preferred in certain types of cancer like brain tumors, cervical cancer, oesophageal cancer, etc.
  • Radiotherapy: radiotherapy can be provided in the early stages as well as late stages of metastasis. It makes use of high-dose radiation to kill the tumor cell or slow down its spread to other tissues. Moreover, it can be used before surgery to reduce tumor mass.

Prevention and Awareness of Cancer

Prevention and awareness of cancer can help save many lives and create less panic. Awareness about cancer will help people understand that not all cancer leads to death. Treatment of cancer is possible, and living a normal life after a diagnosis of cancer is very much possible. Poor awareness of cancer will lead to poor screening and less chance of receiving good and early treatment. Various things to be considered to prevent cancer:

  • Lifestyle changes: adopting better eating habits and including fruits and vegetables in your diet can reduce your risk of developing cancer Women after the age of 40 must get a routine breast examination or mammography for early detection of breast cancer. 
  • Protection against virus lice, HCV or HIV, can prevent your chances of developing cancer. This infection affects your immunity and makes you susceptible to developing cancer.
  • People with a history of cancer in their family can get routine yearly examinations or gene tests to suspect any gene mutation in their bodies.

Cancer screening: Cancer screening is something people can get done if they think they are experiencing any abnormal changes in their bodies. Changes like any lumps, clustered mass, weight loss or headache, etc. Screening is a process that can rule out cancer symptoms and causes even before they appear to keep you out of the danger zone.

Choose iLiOS Health for Cancer Second Opinion

We have all you need for a genuine and right second opinion without hassle. We have registered and well-experienced practitioners on board to help you. You can consult our team about cancer second opinion anytime you need. Our doctors are unbiased and will not manipulate you in any way. Moreover, you can ensure the right solution to your issues. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why does cancer occur in our bodies?

A. Cancer is a broad term that can develop due to various carcinogens, e.g. pollution, tobacco use, and chronic alcoholism. Or cancer causes can be of unknown origin and may be linked to genes.

Q. What percentage of cancer patients opt for a second opinion?

A. Cancer can affect the psychology of patients; therefore, almost 60- 70% percent of people opt for a second opinion before they start treatment.

Q. Which stage of cancer is the last?

A. The last stage is often called terminal cancer, and it is a stage where the patient is not responding to treatment and chances of mortality are high.

Q. What is the worst stage of cancer?

A. The cancer stage is where cancer spreads to different parts of the body, also known as metastasis. It is a stage where controlling the growth of cancer cells is troublesome.

Q. Who is prone to develop cancer?

A. Different factors play a role in the susceptibility of developing cancer, like exposure to carcinogens, e.g. radiation, fumes pollution, etc., lifestyle choices like chronic alcoholism, and genetic factors.

Q.Why is a second opinion important for cancer patients? 

A. Patients who are diagnosed with cancer mostly prefer to take a second opinion for better treatment, different perspectives, and to know about the chances of early recovery.