Cancer Staging

what does C mean

1-5 modifier of the certainty of the last mentioned parameter

what are the 4 main factors of staging

1. location of primary tumor 2. tumor size and extent of tumors 3. lymph node involvement (whether or not the cancer has spread to the nearby lymph nodes) 4. presence or absence of distant metastasis.

which stage is determined from evidence acquired ebfore treatment (including clinical examination, imaging, endoscopy, biopsy, surgical exploration)

C stage

the tumor has spread to nearby nodes on the same side of the body

N1

the tumor has spread to nodes further away but on the same side of the body

N2

Cancer cells are present in lymph nodes on the other side of the chest from the tumor or in nodes near the collarbone or neck muscles

N3

what does the T stand for

T refers to the size and extent of the main tumor or primary tumor

a tumor that is less than 3 cm (1.5 inches) in size

T1

tumor >1 mm but <5 mm

T1a

tumor >5 mm but <10 mm

T1b

tumor >10 mm but <20 mm

T1c

a tumor that is greater than 3 cm

T2

tumor is >2 cm but <5 cm

T2

the tumor can be any size but is near the airway or has spread to local areas such as the chest wall or diaphragm

T3

tumor is > 5 cm

T3

the tumor is any size but is located in the airway, or has invaded local structures such as the heart or the esophagus

T4

a tumor of any size but has spread to chest wall or breast skin

T4 MUST KNOW

what does Tis mean

carcinoma in situ

___________ determines how much cancer there is based on the physical examination, imaging tests, and biopsies of affected areas.

clinical staging

what does R stand for

completeness of the operation (0-2)

what does N represent

degree of spread to regional lymph nodes

what does S stand for

elevation of serum tumor markers (0-3)

which type of breast cancer is more aggressive

her 2 neu

what does V stand for

invasion into vein (0-2) no, microscopic, macroscopic

what does L stand for

invasion of lymphatic vessels (0-1)

whats unique about triple neg breast cancer

its hard to treat

What does Nx mean

lymph nodes cant be assessed

what does T0 mean

main tumor cannot be found

what does TX mean

main tumor cannot be measured

what does M1 represent

metastasis to distant organs

what does M0 mean

no distant metastasis

what does N0 mean

no regional lymph node metastasis

____ is the stage given by histopathologic examination of a surgical specimen

p

___________ can only be determined from individual patients who have had surgery to remove a tumor or explore the extent of the cancer

pathologic staging

__________ determines how much cancer remains after a patient is first treated with systemic chemotherapy or hormone therapy. and/or radiation therapy prior to their surgery or where no surgery is performed. this can be assessed by clinical staging guidelines and/or pathologic staging guidelines.

post-therapy post-neoadjuvant therapy

what does M represent

presence of distant metastasis

the best indicator for response of breast cancer to drugs is

receptor availability

what does Mx mean

refers to cancers that can not be evaluated for distant metastasis

what does the M stand for

refers to whether the cancer has metastasized

What does N1 mean

regional lymph node metastasis present; at some sites, tumor spread to closest or small number of regional lymph nodes

__________ is used to determine the extent of the disease if a cancer comes back after treatment. it helps determine the best treatment options for cancer that has returned.

restaging

What does the N stand for

the number of nearby lymph nodes that have cancer

what does N2 mean

tumor spread to an extent between N1 and N3

what does N3 mean

tumor spread to more distant or numerous regional lymph nodes