summary staging (SS)

A system used to describe how far the cancer has spread from its original (primary) site. It is used to describe solid tumours.

Summary staging uses all the information available from the medical record, clinical examination and pathology report to assign a tumour to 1 of 5 categories: in situ, localized, regional, distant (metastasis) and unknown.

Also called general staging, California staging and SEER staging.