Staging is the process of finding out how much cancer there is in the body and where it is located. Staging the cancer is a key step in deciding on your best treatment choices. It also gives your health care team an idea of your outlook (prognosis).

Staging can take time, and people are usually anxious to begin treatment right away. Do not worry that the staging process is taking up treatment time. In most cases it is OK because by staging the cancer, you and your health care team will know which treatments are likely to work best. For more information, please see Staging.

Last Medical Review: 02/24/2009
Last Revised: 02/24/2009