End stage of bone cancer

What staging is?

Almost all people know that there are several stages with every cancer type and it is the same with bone cancer. The stages have been established to make it easier for doctors to know how far has the cancer progressed in a patient and what stage is he or she in. Certain tests and scans are being performed in order for the doctors to determine the stage of cancer. It is very important for the stage to be determined in order for the treatment to be planned. In most cases, the treatment plan depends on the stage of cancer. It is known that there are various ways of staging cancers. TNM system and number system are the two most known of and mostly used ways. In case of bone cancer, the TNM system can be used. However, bone cancer is most commonly divided into three stages.

The Enneking staging system for bone cancer

It is the doctors who use this type of staging for bone cancer. They group bone tumors into three groups. In the first one, the tumor is low grade and have not spread. In the second group are tumors which are high in grade but still have not spread. In the third group are tumors which have spread to other body organs. The first two stages are referred to as localized and the third one is considered to be metastasized. The outcome of the cancers and the amount of treatment they require is what this grouping is based on. Localized cancers are easier to treat and get rid of than metastasized ones. However, another important part of the equation is the grade of the cancer.

The grade of bone cancer cells

Cancer cells are graded according to the appearance of cancer cells under a microscope. There are high and low grade cancer cells. Low grade are ones which are cancerous but are do not look different from other cells. Abnormal-looking cells are considered to be high grade cells.

The number stages of bone cancer

There are three number stages of bone cancer. The stages are also divided into A and B.

Stage 1 bone cancer

Stage 1 cancer which is low grade has not spread to other body parts and it can be removed through surgery. In case of 1A stage, the cancer is still in the bone and in case of 2A, the cancer has grown through the bone.

Stage 2 bone cancer

In this stage, the cancer is high grade but has not spread to other body parts. The doctors usually recommend chemotherapy along with the surgery.

Stage 3 bone cancer

In this stage the cancer has spread to other organs, most likely the lungs or other bones.