Staging►
|
Once it's confirmed that you have anal
cancer, your doctor works to determine the size of the cancer and whether it
has spread — a process called staging. Determining your cancer's stage helps
your doctor determine the best approach to treating your cancer.
Tests and procedures used in the staging of
your cancer may include:
Computerized tomography (CT) scan
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Positron emission tomography (PET)
Your doctor uses the information from the
procedures to assign your cancer a stage. The stages of anal cancer are:
Stage 0 anal cancer
As the earliest stage of anal cancer, stage
0 means the cancer has not grown beyond the top layer of anal tissue. It is
also called carcinoma in situ or Bowen’s disease.
A stage 0 anal cancer diagnosis occurs
along with the following TNM categories:
Tis: The cancer has not grown beyond the
anal lining.
N0: The cancer has not spread to the lymph
nodes.
M0: The cancer has not spread to organs or
other nearby areas.
Stage I anal cancer
The cancer has spread beyond the top layer
of anal tissue, but it has not spread to nearby lymph nodes or distant sites.
A stage I anal cancer diagnosis occurs along
with the following TNM categories:
TI: The
tumor is less than 2 cm.
N0: The
cancer has not spread to nearby lymph nodes.
M0: The
cancer has not spread to distant sites.
Stage II anal cancer
A tumor in stage II anal cancer may be
classified as either T2 or T3.
A stage II anal cancer diagnosis occurs
along with the following TNM categories:
T2 or T3:
The tumor is greater than 2cm but has not spread to nearby organs.
N0: The
cancer has not spread to nearby lymph nodes.
M0: The
cancer has not spread to distant sites.
Stage III anal cancer
Stage III anal cancer is divided into two
subcategories: IIIA and IIIB. The difference between the categories is the
extent to which the cancer has spread.
Stage IIIA anal cancer can be staged in two different ways using the TNM scale:
T1-T3: The cancer is any size but has not
grown into nearby organs.
N1: The cancer has spread to the lymph
nodes around the rectum.
M0: The cancer has not spread to distant
sites.
OR
T4: The cancer has spread to nearby organs,
such as the vagina or bladder.
N0: The cancer has not spread to nearby
lymph nodes.
M0: The cancer has not spread to distant
sites.
Stage IIIB cancer can be staged in two different ways using the TNM scale:
T4: The cancer has spread to nearby organs,
such as the vagina or bladder.
N1: The cancer has spread to the lymph
nodes around the rectum.
M0: The cancer has not spread to distant
sites.
OR
T1-T4: The cancer is any size and may or
may not have grown into nearby organs.
N2-N3: The cancer has spread to the lymph
nodes in the groin or pelvis, and may or may not have spread to lymph nodes
around the rectum.
M0: The cancer has not spread to distant
sites.
Stage IV anal cancer
Stage IV is the most advanced stage of anal
cancer. The cancer is any size, and may or may not spread to nearby organs,
such as the vagina or bladder (any T). The cancer may or may not have spread to
nearby lymph nodes (any N). A diagnosis of stage IV anal cancer means that the
cancer has spread to distant organs and tissues (M1).
