What do the different stages of cancer mean?

What do the different stages of cancer mean?

In general, early stages such as stage I means that the cancer is confined to the organ that it started in. For example, in lung cancer a stage I cancer is small and in a single lobe of the lung. Stage II then is usually larger but still confined to the organ. And the lung cancer would still be in one lobe but the tumor would be larger. Stage III, in general, is what we call locally advanced disease, either with the very large tumors or involvement of the lymph nodes around the primary organ. Stage IV means that a cancer has spread, usually through the blood stream to other parts of the body.Your doctor cares about the staging because it really will influence which types of treatments are recommended. Some people can be treated only with surgery and have a great expectation of cure. Other patients will need surgery and then radiation therapy, and still others will need all three forms of cancer therapy, surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.