|
Stages of Nasopharyngeal Cancer
| Key Points for This Section
|
|
After nasopharyngeal cancer has been diagnosed, tests
are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the nasopharynx or to
other parts of the body.
The process used to find out whether cancer has spread within the nasopharynx or to other parts of the
body is called staging. The information gathered from the
staging process determines the stage of the disease. It is
important to know the stage in order to plan treatment. The results of the tests used to diagnose nasopharyngeal cancer are often also used to stage the disease.
There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.
The three ways that cancer spreads in the body are:
- Through tissue. Cancer invades the surrounding normal tissue.
- Through the lymph system. Cancer invades the lymph system and travels through the lymph vessels to other places in the body.
- Through the blood. Cancer invades the veins and capillaries and travels through the blood to other places in the body.
When cancer cells break away from the primary (original) tumor and travel through the lymph or blood to other places in the body, another (secondary) tumor may form. This process is called metastasis. The secondary (metastatic) tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if breast cancer spreads to the bones, the cancer cells in the bones are actually breast cancer cells. The disease is metastatic breast cancer, not bone cancer.
The following stages are used for nasopharyngeal
cancer:
Stage 0 (Carcinoma in Situ)
In stage 0, abnormal cells are found in the lining
of the nasopharynx. These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread into nearby normal tissue. Stage 0 is also called carcinoma in situ.
Stage I
In stage I, cancer has formed and is found in the nasopharynx only.
|
Enlarge
|
|
|
|
|
| Pea, peanut, walnut, and lime show tumor sizes. |
Stage II
Stage II nasopharyngeal
cancer is divided into stage IIA and stage IIB as
follows:
Stage III
In stage III nasopharyngeal
cancer, the cancer:
- is found in the nasopharynx and has spread to lymph
nodes on both sides of the neck and the lymph nodes are 6 centimeters or smaller; or
- has spread into the soft tissues (oropharynx and/or nasal cavity)
and to lymph nodes on both sides of the neck and the lymph nodes are 6 centimeters or smaller; or
- has spread beyond the soft tissues into areas around the pharynx and to lymph nodes on both sides of the neck and the lymph nodes are 6 centimeters or smaller; or
- has spread to nearby bones or sinuses and may have spread to lymph nodes on one or both sides of the neck and the involved lymph nodes are 6 centimeters or smaller.
Stage IV
Stage IV nasopharyngeal
cancer is divided into stage IVA, stage IVB, and stage IVC as
follows:
Back to Top
< Previous Section | Next Section > |
)