When a doctor uses the TNM system, they will place a number after each letter. M refers to whether cancer has metastasized (spread).N refers to the number of nearby lymph nodes that have cancer cells.T refers to the size of the original tumor.In the TNM system, each letter refers to a different feature of the cancer: For some cancers, lymph node involvement occurs at stage 2, but in others it can mean cancer has reached stage 3.Īnother way of staging cancer is the TNM staging system. The staging will depend on the type of cancer. Healthcare professionals also break stages into further subcategories, using a, b, and c. Stave 4 is when cancer has spread to areas that are distant from the original tumor.The higher the stage, the larger and more extensive the cancer is. Stage 1, 2, and 3 indicate that cancer is present.Stage 0, or carcinoma in situ (CIS), is when abnormal cells are present but have not spread.There are different ways of staging cancer, for example: The stages of cancer indicate how far cancer has traveled from its original location. Research indicates that osteosarcomas, a form of bone cancer, only involve the lymph nodes in 4–11% of cases. Some spread quickly to the lymph nodes, while others develop and spread more slowly.

The rate that cancer spreads to a person’s lymph nodes may depend on the type of cancer. When does cancer spread to the lymph nodes?

Lymph nodes at back of neck