Throat Cancer Staging
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Throat Cancer Staging
To determine the cause of your throat cancer symptoms, your doctor may evaluate your medical history and your general state of health. Your doctor may also perform a physical examination and order diagnostic and/or laboratory tests (i.e., biopsy, endoscopy, x-rays, CT scans, PET scans, and/or MRIs).
If your diagnosis is positive, your doctor will want to know the stage of your throat cancer. Staging is the process of identifying the extent of the cancer in the body. Throat cancer staging is usually based on where the cancer is located in the throat, the size of the tumor, whether lymph nodes contain cancer, and whether the cancer has spread from the original site to other parts of the body.
Throat cancer staging may involve an examination, x-rays, other imaging procedures, and/or laboratory tests. Knowing the stage of the throat cancer will help your doctor develop an appropriate treatment plan.
The Stages of Throat Cancer
- Stage I Throat Cancer: The cancer is less than one inch and has not spread to the lymph nodes.
- Stage II Throat Cancer: The cancer is between one and two inches and has not spread to the lymph nodes.
- Stage III Throat Cancer: The cancer is more than two inches and has spread to one lymph node on the same side of the neck as the tumor. The lymph node containing the cancer is smaller than three centimeters (just over one inch).
- Stage IV Throat Cancer: The cancer has spread to tissues around the lips and mouth. The cancer has spread to multiple lymph nodes, or to any lymph node that is larger than six centimeters (over two inches).
- Metastatic Throat Cancer: The cancer has spread to other part of the body.
- Recurrent Throat Cancer: The cancer returns after initial treatment.
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