Stage and spread
Stage
Also written as Cancer stage, Staging, Stage I, Stage II, Stage III, Stage IV
What it means
Stage is the extent of a cancer in the body. It is usually based on the size of the tumour, whether lymph nodes contain cancer, and whether the cancer has spread from where it started to other parts of the body.
Why it matters
Stage is one of the main things your oncologist uses to plan treatment.
Ask your oncologist
"What is my stage, and how was it decided?"
From NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms: stage. Not medical advice: your oncologist decides.