|
Grading a cancer
The grade of a cancer indicates the degree of abnormality the cells display. The pathologist makes this determination by examining a sample of tissue removed from the tumor under a microscope and assigning a grade from 1 to 3 based on how closely the cells resemble normal cells in size and shape, how much of the cancer is tubular in structure, and how many of the cells are dividing. The cells in low-grade cancer (grade 1) appear most like normal cells and are very well differentiated. Cells in high-grade (grade 3) cancer have distorted shapes, are poorly differentiated, and tend to grow rapidly. Individuals with tumor cells that are well differentiated tend to have a better prognosis than do those with poorly differentiated tumors.
|
