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