This page tells you about grading for cancer. There is information about
You may hear your doctor talk about the grade of your cancer. Tumour grade describes a tumour in terms of how abnormal the tumour cells are when compared to normal cells. It also describes how abnormal the tissues look under a microscope.
The grade gives your doctor some idea of how the cancer might behave. A low grade cancer is likely to grow more slowly and be less likely to spread than a high grade one. Doctors can't be certain exactly how the cells will behave. But the grade is a useful indicator.
Tumour grade is sometimes taken into account as part of cancer staging systems. The stage of a cancer describes how big the cancer is and whether it has spread or not.
Some types of cancer have their own grading systems but generally, there are 3 grades:
Grade 1 – the cancer cells look very similar to normal cells and are growing slowly
Grade 2 – the cells don't look like normal cells and are growing more quickly than normal
Grade 3 – the cancer cells look very abnormal and are growing quickly
Some systems have more than 3 grades.
GX means that doctors can't assess the grade. It is also called undetermined grade.
Another way of describing the cells is by how differentiated they are. Differentiation refers to:
- how well developed the tumour cells are
- how cancer cells are organised in the tumour tissue
When cells and tissue structures are very similar to normal tissues, the tumour is called well differentiated. These tumours tend to grow and spread slowly.
On a poorly differentiated, or an undifferentiated tumour, the cells look very abnormal and are not arranged in the usual way. So the normal structures and tissue patterns are missing. These tumours may be more likely to spread into surrounding tissues or to other parts of the body.
Your treatment team takes into account the tumour grade and other factors such as the stage of the cancer, your age and general health. This helps them to predict the likely outcome of the cancer and decide on the best treatment.
Generally, a lower tumour grade has a better outlook. A higher grade cancer may grow and spread more quickly. A high grade cancer usually needs faster or more intensive treatment.
For some types of cancer, the grade is very important in planning treatment and the possible outcome. These include soft tissue sarcoma, primary brain tumours, and breast and prostate cancer.
Ask your doctor for specific information about the tumour grade. They can explain to you how the grade relates to the treatment and the possible outcome.
You can find out about the stages of a cancer.