How is bone cancer staged?

Bone cancers are staged I (1) through IV (4). As a rule, the lower the number, the less the cancer has spread. A higher number, such as stage IV, means cancer has spread more. And within a stage, an earlier letter means a lower stage. read more

Bone cancer stages are based on four categories: T - Describes the size of the primary bone tumor. N - Indicates whether the bone cancer cells have spread to regional lymph nodes. M - Refers to whether the cancer has metastasized (spread to distant areas of the body). read more

In most primary bone cancers, there are 5 stages: stage 0 (zero) and stages I through IV (1 through 4). The stage provides a common way of describing the cancer, so doctors can work together to plan the best treatments. read more