Stage and grade of cancer

The stage and grade of a cancer are ways to measure the cancer. When cancer is diagnosed, the stage and grade of a person's cancer helps doctors know what treatment to use. They also help predict how long the person will survive or whether there is a good chance for a cure.

The stage describes how much cancer is in the body and where it is located. If the cancer has spread, the stage will also show how far it has spread.

The grade describes how tumor cells look under a microscope compared to cells from healthy tissue near the tumor. The tumor grade helps predict how quickly the cancer will grow and spread.