Pharyngeal Cancer

STAGING

The staging of pharyngeal cancer is based on three factors. The first of these is the size and degree of spread of the primary cancer itself. The second is the degree in which lymph nodes are involved. The third is the presence or absence of distant spread in other parts of the body.

Stage I cancer means that the disease is still quite small. For cancer of the hypopharynx and oropharynx this means the disease is less than 2 cm (about ¾ of an inch) in diameter. For nasopharyngeal cancer, this means the disease is limited to just one wall of the nasopharynx.

Stage II disease is larger than that described above, but still has not spread outside of the pharynx and has not involved any lymph nodes.

Stage III disease is rather massive within the pharynx or has involved lymph nodes to a limited degree.

Stage IV means that the disease has more extensively involved the lymph node or has spread directly into tissue outside the pharynx. Stage IV also would be the designation for patients whose cancer has metastasized to other parts of the body, such as the lungs.