|
There are several reasons for staging cancer cases. One reason
is that the need for staging places a responsibility on the
medical practitioner to adequately assess the extent of cancer
in order to treat the disease in the most appropriate manner.
Another reason is that knowing the extent of disease assists
the physician determine the most appropriate treatment to
cure the disease, decrease the tumor burden, or relieve symptoms.
| Staging is also
used to indicate prognosis
for an individual patient. Data from historical sources
can provide an estimate of the expected survival rate
for a particular cancer with a corresponding extent of
disease. Of course, histology and grade of tumor, patient
demographics such as age, sex, and race, anthe efficacy
of therapy all play a part in determining the patient's
prognosis and quality of survival.
Staging provides a means of comparing local treatment
results with national data based on common criteria
for the extent of disease. Staging expedites the exchange
of data and assists in the continuing research on cancer.
Health information records are the primary source of
documentation for staging information. |
|
|
