User talk:Alinakapur

Head and neck cancer stages are of immense importance in treating a victim and knowing head and neck cancer survival rate. Stages also help to judge head and neck cancer prognosis and know basic intensity of tumors. Each stage is related to specific head and neck cancer symptoms and displays typical pattern of cancer growth. Stages can be best determined by going through proper and timely head and neck cancer diagnosis. Knowing stages is also important to plan proper care process in post-treatment period and ensure early mental and physical recovery of the victim.

Why are Head and Neck Cancer Stages Significant?

Cancer of head and neck is a highly complicated disorder and has a very high rate of metastasis. It occurs in some of the vital organs of human body and can lead to death of the victim if not diagnosed and treated in time. Most cancers of head and neck start from oral cavity and throat regions though other areas like nose, lips, tongue, outer portions of neck, larynx, salivary glands, and pharynx also record a considerable number of cases.

Head and neck cancer stages signify seriousness of tumors and the parts they might have spread to. Classification of stages may vary in primary and secondary tumor growth and record different head and neck cancer prognosis rates. Each stage is associated with specific set of symptoms and selected pattern of head and neck cancer therapies. Also, the chances of physical recovery depend mostly upon the stage of cancer a victim is going through. It is necessary to undergo regular medical tests and restrict tumors to minimum possible phase.

Progress of tumors in higher stages mean executing more stern treatment methods. Such treatments are usually damaging even to healthy cells and tissues surrounding infected areas and can cause permanent disabilities in victim. They may became a cause of cancerous growth in head and neck or other regions of the body in future or create severe health issues in victim. Level of sustainability to handle treatments also matters while undergoing treatments for higher stages. Thus, knowing stage of the disorder is extremely important to initiate other processes in a systematic and safe manner.

Head and Neck Cancer Stages

Stage 0, medically called as carcinoma in situ, is the most basic phase of cancerous infection and displays presence of infected cells only in the outer or epithelial layer of one or more organs of head and neck.

Stage 1 is the next stage wherein the tumors grow in size and structure but limit only to local region and do not infect adjacent regions or lymph nodes.

Stage 2 is a bit serious phase and displays metastasis of tumors to surrounding organs or areas but not to the lymph nodes.

Stage 3 is a very severe phase and tumor size can be equal to or more than 4cm. Some of the adjacent lymph nodes may get infected in the process but, rate of metastasis again depends upon origin of tumors.

Stage 4 is the final and most serious phase wherein the tumors metastasize to majority of surrounding and remote areas and show no chances of responding to basic treatments like surgery. Most of the lymph nodes in the way also get seriously infected.

Head and neck cancer stages need to be cross-examined using advanced detection methods in order to avoid unexpected health issues in future. Proper and timely head and neck cancer awareness plays a vital role in detecting the disorder in early stages.