Type, Grade & Stage

Grade

The grade of a cancer is determined by a pathologist after the tumor has been surgically removed. The grade refers to how healthy or unhealthy the cancer cells look under a microscope. In other words, the grade of cancer is determined by comparing the amount of the healthy-looking tissue to the amount of cancerous tissue. If most of the tumor cells look like normal tissue, then the cancer is “well-differentiated” or “low-grade.” However, if the tumor cells look very different from normal tissue, then the cancer is “poorly-differentiated”, “undifferentiated”, or “high-grade.” The grade of the cancer may help to predict how quickly the cancer is likely to spread. All anaplastic thyroid cancers are undifferentiated and considered to be high grade.

TNM Staging Tool

Enter your TNM numbers to see staging information.

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What is ENE?

ENE (+)

There is no evidence of distant spread to other parts of the body. There is evidence of distant spread to other parts of the body.

Extranodal extension is present, meaning that there is evidence that the tumor has spread outside of the lymph node on imaging.

ENE (-)

Extranodal extension is absent, meaning that there is no evidence that the tumor has spread outside of the lymph node on imaging.

 

The information in the TNM Staging Tool represents the AJCC 8th Edition Cancer Staging Form.

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