The nurse is caring for a patient with an adenocarcinoma involving the entire left lung with poor cellular differentiation. Metastases is discovered in the thyroid and numerous regional lymph nodes. Which of the following is the correct staging?

Explanation

Cancer Staging
T: Size
•Tx - Tumor cannot be evaluated
•Tis - Carcinoma in situ
•T0 - No signs of tumor
•T1,T2,T3,T4 - size and/or extension of primary tumor

N: Degree of regional lymph node involvement
•Nx - Lymph nodes cannot be evaluated
•N0 - Tumor cells absent from regional lymph nodes
•N1 - Regional lymph mets present
•N2 - Tumor spread to an extent, between N1 & N3
•N3 - Tumor spread to more distant or numerous regional lymph nodes

M: Presence of metastasis
•Mx - Distant metastasis cannot be evaluated
•M0 - No distant metastasis
•M1 - Metastasis to distant organs (beyond regional lymph nodes)

G1-G4: The grade of the cancer cells. Low grade are well differentiated, high grade are poorly differentiated.

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