The results are combined to determine the stage of cancer for each person. Metastasis (M): Has the cancer spread to other parts of the body or to lymph nodes beyond the groin and pelvis? If so, where and how much? Node (N): Has the tumor spread to lymph nodes? If so, where and how many? Tumor (T): How far has the primary tumor grown into the penis? Has it grown beyond the penis into nearby parts of the body, such as the pubic bone, scrotum, or prostate? What is the grade of the tumor (see 'Grade,' above)? Doctors use the results from diagnostic tests and scans to answer these questions: One tool that doctors use to describe the stage is the TNM system. In general, early-stage cancers are linked with a better prognosis and may need less intense treatment than later-stage cancers. In addition to the grade, staging is another way to determine a patient’s prognosis and help guide treatment. This is called poorly differentiated or high grade. G3: Describes tumor cells that look very different from healthy cells. G2: The cells are somewhat different from healthy cells, called moderately differentiated. G1: Describes cells that look more like healthy tissue cells, called well differentiated. GX: The tumor grade cannot be identified. If the cancer looks similar to healthy tissue and contains different cell groupings, it is called 'differentiated' or a 'low-grade tumor.' If the cancerous tissue looks very different from healthy tissue, it is called 'poorly differentiated' or a 'high-grade tumor.' Higher grade penile cancers may need more intense treatment because they are more likely to spread to the lymph nodes and other parts of the body. Healthy tissue usually has many different types of cells grouped together. To determine the cancer’s grade, the doctor compares the cancerous tissue with healthy tissue. And this information helps the doctor plan treatment. The cancer’s grade is important because it helps predict how likely it is to spread to the lymph nodes in the groin. The grade describes how much the cancer cells look like healthy cells when viewed under a microscope. One way doctors describe penile cancer is by grade (G).

A lower grade or lower stage cancer is associated with a better chance of recovery than a higher grade or higher stage cancer. Knowing the grade and stage helps the doctor recommend what kind of treatment is best and helps predict a patient's prognosis, which is the chance of recovery. So, grading and staging may not be complete until all the tests are finished. This includes where the cancer is located and if or where it has spread.ĭoctors use diagnostic tests to find out the cancer's grade and stage.

Grading and staging are ways of describing how fast-growing the cancer is and how much it has grown. ON THIS PAGE: You will learn about how doctors describe a cancer’s growth or spread and its appearance under a microscope.

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