Staging is a way of describing a cancer, such as where it is located, where it has spread, and if it is affecting the functions of other organs in the body. Doctors use diagnostic tests to determine the cancer’s stage, so staging may not be complete until all of the tests are finished. Knowing the stage helps the doctor to decide what kind of treatment is best and can help predict a patient’s prognosis (chance of recovery). There are different stage descriptions for different types of cancer.

Gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors

There is no standard system for staging gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors. Some doctors use the same system that is used for other cancers of the same organ. For example, stomach carcinoid tumors may be treated similar to stomach cancer.

Because there is no standard system for describing the spread of gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors, many doctors divide all gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors into three general stages:

Localized spread. The carcinoid tumor has not spread beyond the wall of the primary organ, such as the stomach, colon, or intestine.

Regional spread. The carcinoid tumor has spread through the wall of the primary organ and involves nearby tissues, such as fat, muscle, or lymph nodes.

Distant spread. The carcinoid tumor has spread to tissues or organs far away from the primary organ, such as the liver, bones, or lungs.

Lung carcinoid tumors

The staging of lung carcinoid tumors is the same as the staging of non-small cell lung cancer.