Clinical Staging and Pathological Staging

**Before any staging is done the patient has already been diagnosed with cancer and usually an initial biopsy has been performed

CLINICAL STAGING :

•  Almost every patient is clinically staged (only few exceptions)

•  Staging that is performed by the use of non-invasive diagnostic tests

 

Workup is performed (non-invasice diagnostic tests):

•  Physical Px and History Hx

•  Bloodwork

•  CBC, PTT, serology, bacteria, WBC count

•  Urinalysis UA

•  X-rays

•  CT scan (cross section)

•  MRI (magnetic resonance imaging / cross section)

•  Ultrasound – sonogram

•  PET scan (shows physiology)

•  SCOPES – endoscopy

•  Scope c Bx – is while performing an endoscopy a biopsy is also taken

•  Nuclear medicine – give a radioactive isotope to patient and watch area where its given

**after tests the patient can be given a more specific diagnosis

PATHOLOGICAL STAGING :

•  Invasive procedure

•  Based on a biopsy

•  Any removal of tissue to tell the extent of a cancer

•  Most patient are not pathologically staged

A patient can have a different pathological stage than clinical stage (ex.   Clinical staged as a 1 / Pathologically staged as 2)