Stages of brain and spinal cord tumours
Staging describes or classifies a cancer based on how much cancer there is in the body and where it is when first diagnosed. This is often called the extent of cancer.
Staging is not used for brain and spinal cord tumours because they rarely spread outside the central nervous system to other parts of the body.
The most important factor in describing a brain or spinal cord tumour is the grade.
Recurrent brain and spinal cord tumours
A recurrent brain or spinal cord tumour means that the tumour has come back after it has been treated. It can come back in the same location as the original tumour or in other areas of the central nervous system.
A brain or spinal cord tumour that comes back may have a higher grade than it did when it was first diagnosed.
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