What is the difference between the stage and the grade of a cancer?
Most cancers can be subdivided by their “stage” and “grade”. Stage basically describes the location of the tumor at the time of diagnosis. Gynecologic cancers typically have four stages – early cancers with no gross evidence of metastases are classified as stage I, very advanced cancers with extensive metastases are classified as stage IV. Grade is a description of what the individual cancer cells look like under a microscope. Gynecologic cancers usually have 3 grades – grade I cancers vary little from the tissue of origin, whereas grade III cancers bear little resemblance to the originating tissue.
