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Article: Tumor Grading
- Article from:
- Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Tumor grading
Definition
Tumor grading is an estimate of the tumor's malignancy and aggressiveness based on how the tumor cells appear under a microscope and the number of malignant characteristics they possess.
Purpose
Tumor grading, together with the stage of the tumor, assists doctors in planning treatment strategies. Although
grading is an important part of describing most cancers, it is extremely important in helping to determine the course of treatment for specific cancers such as soft tissue
sarcomas
, brain tumors, lymphomas, breast and
prostate cancer
. Generally higher grade and higher stage tumors require more drastic therapy than lower grade and stage tumors. Tumor grade ...