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Introduction to Bladder Cancer
Staging of Bladder Cancer
Once all of the staging information has been obtained, the TNM values are combined to determine the clinical stage of the disease. Patients with bladder cancer are assigned to one of 5 clinical stages:
- Stage 0
- Stage I
- Stage II
- Stage III
- Stage IV
In general, the five stages of bladder cancer reflect the extent of severity of the disease ranging from the earliest stage (Stage 0) to the most advanced stage (Stage IV). As mentioned previously, staging is an important feature of the disease that is used by doctors to determine the most appropriate type of treatment as well as to predict the long-term outcome (prognosis).
