Four stages of cancer and what each one means - from 'non-invasive' to terminal
In the UK, one in two people will develop some kind of cancer during their lifetime.
But the dreaded C word is no longer the death sentence it used to be, especially if detected early. In fact, cancer survival in the UK has doubled in the last 50 years - and easier to treat variants such as testicular cancer have a 98 per cent survival rate.
Surgery is usually the first treatment people try as solid tumours can be surgically removed. Other methods include chemotherapy and radiotherapy. But, what exactly are the four stages of cancer and what does each one mean?
The NHS says cancer can be categorised using different methods. The TNM staging system uses a variety of letters and numbers to describe the state of the condition, including how big tumours are and whether the cancer has spread. Doctors will also use a staging system from 0-4.
Four stages of cancer
Stage 0: The cancer is where it started and has not spread.
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Stage 1: The cancer is small and hasn't spread anywhere else
Stage 2: The cancer has grown but has not spread
Stage 3: The cancer is larger and may have spread to surrounding tissue. May have also spread to the lymph nodes or 'glands'
Stage 4: The cancer will have spread from where it started in the body to at least one other organ. This is also referred to as 'secondary' or 'metastatic' cancer.
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Stage zero, otherwise known as Carcinoma in situ, means that there is a group of 'abnormal cells in area of the body' - but that these are too small to form a tumour. According to Cancer Research, some experts refer to this these cell changes as 'non-invasive cancer' or 'precancerous changes'. This doesn't mean that treatment itself won't be invasive - as surgery and radiotherapy are still commonly used at this stage.
When a person's cancer is not curable and will result in death, doctors use the term 'terminal'. However, this is not linked to a specific stage. Even those diagnosed with stage four cancers are not always terminal - and may just require more aggressive forms of treatment.
Survival rates
It makes sense that the earlier the stage of cancer - the better the survival rates - but this does vary depending on which variant of the disease we're talking about. According to the Office for National Statistics : "Apart from lung and ovarian cancer, there is a pattern of similar one year survival for patients diagnosed at stages 1 - 3 and a large decrease for those diagnosed at stage 4".
The stage four survival rate varies from 15 per cent (men with lung cancer) to 83 per cent (men with prostate cancer) - showing again that stage four cancer does not mean 'terminal' . The low figure for lung cancer could be attributed to the fact that many cancers are diagnosed much later on in comparison to others.
Colorectal cancer's one year survival is similar for men and women at all stages. Whereas ovarian cancer's one year survival rates steadily decreases with increasing stage, meaning an early diagnosis is essential.
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There are many early warning signs of cancer, including finding a lump that suddenly appears on your body, unexplained bleeding, and changes to your bowel habits. It's important to see a GP if you're worried about your symptoms.
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