What Do I Do Now? - 6

6
WHAT THE C?!? /// CHAPTER 4
What Stage
is it, Doc?
Why do we have stages?
Your doctor needs to know how large, how
aggressive and and how much the cancer has
spread in your body. Staging is a way to put this
complex information into a short form vocabulary
that providers and researchers can use to quickly
describe and group patients with similar extents
of the same tumor.
Treatment formulas and schedules are chosen
to specifically address your stage of your type of
tumor.
How are these stages determined?
» Radiology studies like CT scans, X-rays and
PET scans
» Biopsy results
» Lab tests
» Procedures like endoscopy or exploratory
laparotomies
First that information is put into a longer
descriptor that looks something like T2aN1M0.
This includes information about the primary
Tumor mass (size, location, and nearby spread),
involvement of lymph Nodes, and Metastases
(spread to far away organs or tissues), as well as
the grade (how aggressive or angry the tumor cells
look under the microscope). Then this is shortened
further into groups of (usually) four stages, using
pretentious Roman numerals I, II, III and IV.
What does it mean if I
have stage IV?
Stage IV sounds so scary, but it truly
depends on which type of cancer you
have. Googling " Stage IV cancer " will
not give you the answers you need. It
is very dependent on your exact cancer,
its location, genetics and grade. Have
this conversation with your doctor.
What is Restaging?
Your doctor may have you get
" restaging scans " during your
treatment. This allows your doctor to
see how your cancer is responding
to the treatment if the length of your
treatment is suitable and sometimes
helps determine if radiation or surgery
is appropriate.
If these scans show improvement,
they don't decrease your " stage. " If
you started as a Stage III cancer, the
staging will never be considered a
Stage II or I moving forward in your
treatment. But if your scans show new
areas of spread, your doctor will know
that the treatment is not effective
enough, will increase your stage and
choose a new treatment appropriate for
that stage.
IMPORTANT
NOTE
Stage is NOT a good
way to tell your
extended family and
friends about your
cancer, unless they
are trained in this
shorthand vocabulary,
because they are likely
to think that your " stage
III " Hodgkin's cancer
is the same as their
cousin's neighbor's
great-aunt's dog-sitter's
" stage III " lung cancer
in 2007. Just no.
Some people are just
asking because they
don't know what else
to say. Some wellmeaning
people really
are asking how serious
the cancer is and how
aggressive or involved
the treatment will be.
You choose how you
answer these kinds of
questions, depending
on how you feel about
their intent and need
to know. A personal
favorite response?
" Stage 9 ¾. " Do not
feel pressured to share
information you do not
want to.

https://fwaya.org/

What Do I Do Now?

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of What Do I Do Now?

Contents
What Do I Do Now? - 1
What Do I Do Now? - Contents
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