Stages of sarcoma

Sarcoma stages are stages of disease progression. Tumor stages are determined by its size, type, presence of metastases, depth. All sarcomas have four stages of development:

• The first stage – the neoplasm is small in size and superficial in nature.
• Stage two – the sarcoma increases in size and penetrates into tissues. At this stage, metastasis is usually absent.
• Stage three – the tumor grows and penetrates deep into the tissues. At this stage, metastasis to regional lymph nodes begins.
• Stage 4 – deep-seated sarcoma. Metastasis to lymph nodes, circulatory and nervous systems, bone tissue and other organs is in full swing.

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Stage 1 sarcoma

Stage 1 sarcoma is the beginning of a malignant tumor formation. At this stage, the tumor is superficial and practically does not cause side painful symptoms. Let's consider what stage 1 sarcoma looks like when various organs and parts of the body are affected.

Type of malignant tumor	What happens in the first stage?
Sarcoma of the lip	The tumor is limited in size and develops in the thickness of the mucous membrane. It does not metastasize.
Sarcoma of the tongue	The tumor develops on the mucous membrane or in the submucous layer. It does not metastasize.
Laryngeal sarcoma	The tumor is limited and does not extend beyond the larynx.
Thyroid sarcoma	The tumor is limited and located within the thyroid gland.
Skin sarcoma	A small tumor, limited by the epidermis and dermis, mobile. Does not metastasize.
Breast sarcoma	The tumor is small, about 3 cm, located in the thickness of the chest. It does not spread to the skin and tissue, does not metastasize.
Lung sarcoma	The tumor appears on a large bronchus, does not extend beyond it, and does not metastasize.
Esophageal sarcoma	Sarcoma has clear boundaries, but grows through the mucous and submucous layers. It does not metastasize, does not impede the passage of food, does not narrow the lumen of the esophagus.
Gastric sarcoma	The tumor is localized in the mucous layer and has no regional metastases.
Testicular sarcoma	The tumor does not extend beyond the tunica albuginea, does not increase in size, and does not deform the testicle.

Sarcoma stage 2

Stage 2 sarcoma is characterized by the fact that the disease increases and begins to progress. At this stage, the patient experiences increasing painful symptoms, which are a signal of the presence of a malignant tumor in the body.

Type of malignant tumor	What happens in the second stage?
Sarcoma of the lip	The tumor is progressing, but is still limited to the mucous membrane. It has 1-2 metastases in regional lymph nodes.
Sarcoma of the tongue	The sarcoma increases to 2 cm in size, but does not extend beyond the middle lobe of the tongue. It can already metastasize to regional lymph nodes.
Laryngeal sarcoma	The tumor occupies part of the larynx, but does not affect its functionality. Sarcoma metastasizes, as a rule, to the regional nodes of the neck.
Thyroid sarcoma	The sarcoma does not increase in size, but has isolated metastases in regional lymph nodes.
Skin sarcoma	The tumor increases in size to 2 cm, grows through the skin layer, is easily palpated, and is mobile. Metastasizes to regional lymph nodes.
Breast sarcoma	The tumor increases in size up to 5 cm, does not metastasize, is palpable, and is painless.
Lung sarcoma	The tumor does not increase in size and does not yet affect the pleura. It may metastasize to regional lymph nodes.
Esophageal sarcoma	Sarcoma grows into the muscular layer of the esophagus, but does not extend beyond it. The tumor disrupts the passage of food, there may be isolated metastases in regional nodes.
Gastric sarcoma	The tumor grows through the muscular layer of the stomach, but does not grow through the serous membrane.
Testicular sarcoma	The tumor does not extend beyond the tunica albuginea, but increases in size, leading to deformation of the testicle.

Sarcoma stage 3

Stage 3 sarcoma is the penultimate stage of tumor progression. At this stage, the symptoms of most sarcomas are clearly expressed. The tumor actively increases in size, grows deep into the tissues and affects regional lymph nodes.

Type of malignant tumor	What happens in the third stage?
Sarcoma of the lip	The sarcoma progresses, is about 3 cm in size, grows over most of the lip, affects the corner of the mouth, cheeks and soft tissues of the chin.
Sarcoma of the tongue	The tumor extends beyond the middle lobe of the tongue and metastasizes.
Laryngeal sarcoma	The tumor grows, extends beyond the larynx and immobilizes it, and metastasizes.
Thyroid sarcoma	Sarcoma grows into the thyroid capsule and metastasizes to the lymph nodes.
Skin sarcoma	It increases in size, grows through the thickness of the skin, and metastasizes.
Breast sarcoma	Increases in size, causes ulceration of the skin. Actively metastasizes to the axillary and cervical lymph nodes.
Lung sarcoma	Sarcoma grows into the pleura, affects one of the nearby organs. Actively metastasizes.
Esophageal sarcoma	Significantly increases in size, occupying the entire cavity of the esophagus, which leads to its obstruction. Metastasizes to neighboring organs and lymph nodes.
Gastric sarcoma	The sarcoma is large in size, grows into the thickness of the stomach, and affects surrounding organs.
Testicular sarcoma	The tumor extends beyond the tunica albuginea and affects the appendages. The sarcoma metastasizes to regional lymph nodes.

Sarcoma stage 4

Stage 4 sarcoma is the last stage of tumor development. The malignant neoplasm is greatly enlarged in size, affects neighboring organs, and metastasizes. Symptoms of stage 4 sarcoma can only be confused with the last stage of cancer.

Type of malignant tumor	What happens in stage four?
Sarcoma of the lip	The tumor is disintegrating, growing into the soft tissues of the chin and cheeks. Metastasizes and ulcerates.
Sarcoma of the tongue	The sarcoma occupies most of the tongue and continues to grow, spreading to neighboring healthy tissues and organs.
Laryngeal sarcoma	Extensive sarcoma affecting the entire larynx and adjacent organs.
Thyroid sarcoma	It grows into neighboring organs and has distant metastases.
Skin sarcoma	A large tumor that affects not only the skin, but also bone and cartilage tissue, metastasizes.
Breast sarcoma	A large tumor with skin dissemination. It invades the chest wall and has distant metastases.
Lung sarcoma	The sarcoma spreads to the diaphragm and mediastinum and has distant metastases.
Esophageal sarcoma	The sarcoma is large, extends beyond the esophagus, affects nearby organs, and has metastases in distant lymph nodes.
Gastric sarcoma	Sarcoma can be of any size, but has distant metastases.
Testicular sarcoma	The neoplasm grows beyond the appendages and testicle, grows into the scrotum and spermatic cord. Sarcoma has separate metastases.

To diagnose the stage of sarcoma, the patient undergoes a biopsy and carefully examines the obtained samples. Using computed tomography, the exact location of the original tumor, its size and the presence of metastases are determined. Magnetic resonance imaging confirms the presence of metastases. The obtained diagnostic data are carefully studied, and the oncologist draws up a plan for treating sarcoma and removing metastases.