Stages of Cancer

I think it’s critical for people to have an understanding of the stages in cancer development. There are Five Stages of Cancer. We always hear from others that a loved one is in Stage 1 or Stage 4 of Cancer and we don’t really understand what they mean. As a result, I’m going to use this post to give a quick overview. Stage 0 Cancer refers to the very beginning of cancer, actually it’s sometimes referred to as a pre cancerous lesion. The five year survival rate for Stage 0 Cancer is 100%. Stage 1 cancer refers to actual cancer cells being present in a localized region of the body. The tumor is usually defined as smaller than 2 cm. For stage 2 cancer, the cancer tumor is usually still under 2 cm in size but has spread throughout the body to another region which leads to cancer. Stage 3 involves the cancer spreading as well as it being between 2 to 5 cm in size and Stage 4 cancer refers to a tumor that has spread to other organs in the body, most often the bones, lungs, liver, and brain. Basically, The severity of the cancer correlates with the stage number, with Stage 4 being the worst type of cancer possible.  Cancer tends to move throughout the body in the blood, tissue, or lymph nodes as highlighted in the case of breast cancer. It becomes much more difficult to treat cancer once it has spread to many regions of the body(referred to as metastasis). This is why screening can be very helpful because detecting cancer earlier can allow doctors to remove it before metastasis occurs. I’m going to end off here for now with the hope that everyone is exercising, eating right, and trying to live a green lifestyle on daily basis. Also, if anyone would like to post on the blog or help contribute in any way, please don’t hesitate to email me or call me directly.