Staging is done to know the extent of the tumor and its spread in the body.

While deciding on the course of treatment for a patient, staging helps doctor to assess the outcome of the treatment.

Primary tumor’s location, its size and number mainly determines the stage of the cancer.

- Types of Staging Systems
Different types of staging systems are:

1. TNM system This is the most usual staging system. Recognized by the International Union against Cancer (UICC) and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), it takes into consideration the extent of the tumor, whether it has spread to lymph nodes, and whether metastasis is present.

2. The Ann Arbor staging classification is normally used for classifying lymphomas.

3. Summary staging: All types of cancer can be classified with the help of this system. It groups cancer into four main categories:

In situ which means cancerous cells are limited to the area from where it began. This is the initial stage of cancer.

Localized cancer means that cancer has not spread and remained in the organ in which it began.
Regional cancer implies cancer that has spread from the primary tumor area to the surrounding tissues or organs.

Distant cancer means cancer that has spread to distant organs or lymph nodes from the primary tumor area, Physical exams and various tests can be conducted to determine stages of cancer.

Stage 0 Carcinoma in situ means that cancer is limited to the area in which it began. Stage I, Stage II, and Stage III As the stage increases, it indicates extensiveness of the disease, increased size of the tumor, and spread to surrounding lymph nodes and organs.

Stage IV means that the cancer has spread to another organ.