Cancer Diagnosis and Staging

Learn how childhood cancer is diagnosed through exams, blood tests, imaging, biopsies, and molecular testing. Understand preparation, procedures, and result interpretation.

Cancer staging describes how much cancer there is at the time of assessment and how much it has spread. The stage can affect treatment choice, the order in which treatments are administered, and how the disease is monitored.

Many solid tumors are evaluated using the TNM staging system. However, staging methods can vary depending on the type of cancer, the organ affected, and the biological characteristics of the disease.

Clinical staging is based on information obtained prior to treatment, including physical examination, imaging, endoscopy, and biopsy findings. Pathological staging includes additional information obtained during surgery and from the examination of removed tissue.

Tumor grade is different from cancer stage. Grade describes how normal or abnormal the cancer cells appear under a microscope and can provide information about how the tumor will behave. Stage describes the size and extent of the cancer and whether it has spread.

Multidisciplinary Diagnostic Review: Radiology, pathology, nuclear medicine, medical oncology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology, and other relevant specialties work together according to the patient’s diagnostic needs.

Comprehensive Diagnostic Planning: Laboratory analysis, imaging, endoscopic procedures, biopsy, pathological examination, and molecular testing can be coordinated within an individualized diagnostic pathway.

Integrated Evaluation of Findings: Imaging results, pathology reports, laboratory findings, and clinical observations are reviewed together to provide a more complete understanding of the disease.

Personalized Treatment Preparation: Diagnostic and staging findings are used to determine the appropriate treatment sequence, specialist involvement, and follow-up plan for each patient.