ABSTRACT
Aim of staging procedures Introduction A single mutated cancer cell starts to grow locally to form a tumor composed of malignant and stromal cells, which spreads to adjacent and distant organs via lymphatic and blood vessels. The cancer growth pattern depends on the cell of origin and type of mutation(s); it can therefore progress slowly or in a very short time. Staging procedures are examinations and tests performed to define the extent of cancer within the body. Staging procedures focus on the size of the tumor, lymph node involvement, and distant metastases. The stage as the measure of the tumor burden in the body strongly influences disease outcome. This is illustrated by Figure 6.1, which shows cancer survival according to stage. In the majority of malignancies, treatment is tailored to tumor stage in order to obtain best outcome in terms of survival and treatment-related toxicity. The aim of staging is therefore to avoid under-and overtreatment.
