“Staging is a way of describing where the cancer is located, if or where it has spread, and whether it is affecting other parts of the body.  Doctors use diagnostic tests to find out the cancer’s stage, so staging may not be complete until all of the tests are finished. Knowing the stage helps the doctor recommend what kind of treatment is best and can help predict a patient’s prognosis, which is the chance of recovery. There are different stage descriptions for different types of cancer.”

Cancer.Net (https://www.cancer.net)