Grading and Staging – Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (incorporating WHO 2021 changes)
One of the most discussed and sometimes confusing subjects on forums is the staging and grading of Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (NENs). Mixing them up is a common error and so it's important to understand the difference despite the apparent complexity.Stage vs GradeIn the most basic of terms, stage is the spread or extent of cancer and grade is the aggressiveness of cancer. They are totally different things and an understanding of both is important as they are critical to predicting outcomes (to a certain extent) and guiding therapy. There is no correlation between the two, you can have the lowest grade with the highest stage (actually very common with NETs). Remember S for Stage (Spread), G for Grade (Growing fast or slow)The stage is essentially worked out via scans and biopsy,…
