Cancer is given a stage (from 0 to IV), according to how far it has spread within the body. The stage determines how the cancer will be treated.
Stage 0: Carcinoma in situ, which means very early cancer that is not invasive and is found only in a thin layer of cells.
Stage I: The cancer is limited to one part of the nasopharynx and has not spread to nearby lymph nodes.
Stage II: The cancer is in more than one part of the nasopharynx and has not spread to nearby lymph nodes.
Stage III: The cancer has spread into the nose or oropharynx or the cancer is limited to the nasopharynx but has spread to only one lymph node on the same side of the neck as the cancer. The cancerous lymph node measures no more than 3 centimeters in diameter.
Stage IV: The cancer has spread to bones or nerves in the head. The lymph nodes in the area may or may not contain cancer; the cancer is in the nasopharynx or has spread to the nose. The cancer has spread to more than one lymph node on the same side of the neck as the cancer, to lymph nodes on one or both sides of the neck; or to any lymph node that measures more than 6 centimeters; or the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Recurrent: The cancer has returned to the nasopharynx or another part of the body after treatment.
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