Which term is used to indicate the extent of disease by size and spread?

• A. Tumor Staging
• B. Tumor Grading
• C. Metastasis
• D. Histology

Answer: (A)

Extent of disease by size and spread is captured by tumor staging. Staging assesses how large the primary tumor is and whether cancer has reached nearby lymph nodes or distant organs, usually summarized with the TNM system—T for tumor size/invasion, N for nodal involvement, and M for metastasis. The overall stage helps guide prognosis and treatment decisions. Tumor grading, in contrast, looks at how abnormal the cancer cells appear under the microscope to gauge aggressiveness, not how far the disease has spread. Metastasis refers specifically to cancer spreading to distant sites and is a component of staging, but not the standalone term for describing extent. Histology describes the microscopic tissue structure and origin, not the extent of disease.