Stages of Transitional Cell Cancer of the Renal Pelvis and Ureter
Key Points
After transitional cell cancer of the renal pelvis and ureter has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the renal pelvis and ureter or to other parts of the body.
There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.
Cancer may spread from where it began to other parts of the body.
The following stages are used for transitional cell cancer of the renal pelvis and/or ureter:
Stage 0 (Papillary Carcinoma and Carcinoma in Situ)
Stage I
Stage II
Stage III
Stage IV
Transitional cell cancer of the renal pelvis and ureter is also described as localized, regional, or metastatic:
Localized
Regional
Metastatic
After transitional cell cancer of the renal pelvis and ureter has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the renal pelvis and ureter or to other parts of the body.
The process used to find out if cancer
has spread within the renal pelvis
and ureter
or to other
parts of the body is called staging. The information gathered from the
staging process determines the stage
of the disease. It is important to know
the stage in order to plan treatment. The following tests and
procedures may be used in the staging process:
CT scan
(CAT
scan): A procedure that makes a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, taken from different angles. The pictures are made by a computer linked to an x-ray
machine. A dye may be injected
into a vein
or swallowed to help the organs
or tissues
show up more clearly. This procedure is also called computed tomography, computerized tomography, or computerized axial tomography.
Ureteroscopy: A procedure to look inside the ureter and renal pelvis to check for abnormal
areas. A ureteroscope is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens
for viewing. The ureteroscope is inserted through the urethra
into the bladder, ureter, and renal pelvis. A tool may be inserted through the ureteroscope to take tissue samples to be checked under a microscope
for signs of disease.Ureteroscopy. A ureteroscope (a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing) is inserted through the urethra into the ureter. The doctor looks at an image of the inside of the ureter on a computer monitor.
There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.
Tissue. The cancer spreads from where it began by growing into nearby areas.
Lymph system. The cancer spreads from where it began by getting into the lymph system. The cancer travels through the lymph vessels
to other parts of the body.
Blood. The cancer spreads from where it began by getting into the blood. The cancer travels through the blood vessels
to other parts of the body.
Cancer may spread from where it began to other parts of the body.
When cancer spreads to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. Cancer cells
break away from where they began (the primary tumor) and travel through the lymph system or blood.
Lymph system. The cancer gets into the lymph system, travels through the lymph vessels, and forms a tumor
(metastatic
tumor) in another part of the body.
Blood. The cancer gets into the blood, travels through the blood vessels, and forms a tumor (metastatic tumor) in another part of the body.
The metastatic tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if transitional cell cancer
of the ureter spreads to the lung, the cancer cells in the lung are actually ureter cancer cells. The disease is metastatic cancer of the ureter, not lung cancer.
The following stages are used for transitional cell cancer of the renal pelvis and/or ureter:
Stage 0 (Papillary Carcinoma and Carcinoma in Situ)
In stage 0, abnormalcells
are found in tissue
lining the inside of the renal pelvis
or ureter. These abnormal cells may become cancer
and spread into nearby normal tissue. Stage 0 is divided into stage 0a and stage 0is, depending on the type of tumor
:
