Once a person is diagnosed as having cancer, this cancer is given a stage (from I to IV) according to how far it has spread. This stage helps determine the risk of cancer progression and what treatment is most appropriate for the patient.
Stage 0a: Superficial noninvasive papillary TCCs.
Stage 0is: Noninvasive flat TCCs or flat carcinoma in situ.
Stage I: The cancer extends into the inner lining of the bladder to the connective tissue layer.
Stage II: Cancer has spread into the muscular wall lining the bladder.
Stage III: The growth has spread throughout the muscular wall to the fatty layer of tissue surrounding the bladder and/or to the reproductive organs.
Stage IV: The tumor has spread to the wall of the abdomen or pelvis or to nearby lymph nodes (small, bean-shaped organs of the immune system located throughout the body). The cancer may also be found in parts of the body far away from the bladder.
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