Stage at Diagnosis of Cancer in Ohio

The stage of a cancer case refers to the degree to which the cancer has spread. Stage at diagnosis of cancer is an important determinant of survival, with the earliest stages often leading to better prognoses. Early detection through screening is useful in determining the most beneficial treatment and is a good predictor of long-term survival. The purpose of this report is to provide information to help prioritize areas and populations for early detection, referral and treatment programs, and to assist in the evaluation of these programs.

The five stages at which cancer is diagnosed that are presented in this report are defined as follows:

in situ: A tumor that has not invaded or penetrated surrounding tissue

Localized: An invasive malignant tumor that is confined to the organ in which it originated

Regional: An invasive malignant tumor that has spread by direct extension to adjacent organs or tissues and/or has spread to regional lymph nodes

Distant: An invasive malignant tumor that has spread by direct extension beyond adjacent or- gans or tissues and/or metastasized to distant lymph nodes or tissues

Unstaged/Unknown: Insufficient information is available to determine the stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis, or the case was reported with missing stage data

For some of the figures shown in this report, stages are divided into early and late stages to more easily identify patterns and trends. in situ and localized stages are combined to create early stage, and regional and distant stages are combined to create late stage.

Source: Healthy Ohio