Understanding Your Prognosis

Many cancers are curable, and many others can be managed through treatments so that you can continue to live a high-quality life. To determine your prognosis, your cancer will be staged.

Different staging processes are used for various types of cancer. One overall staging system is Roman numeral staging. With this system, the stage can be 0, I, II, III, or IV. A stage 0 tumor is confined to just the tumor itself, which is called carcinoma in situ. Stage I cancers are confined to a particular part of the body, and stages II and III are locally advanced. Stage IV usually indicates that the cancer has metastasized, meaning that the cancer has spread to other organs in the body. Lower stages of cancer usually are associated with higher rates of survival. However, staging is only one tool that clinicians may use.