prognosis just worse
Hi Sherry, Part of the reason that the prognosis is different for stage 1 than stage 4 is that the cancer has either 1) entered the bloodstream , or 2) entered the lymphatic system or 3) both, when you are a stage four. Thats how it spread to other parts of the body. And even when you can't see active mets on a ct or pet scan, it is still there microscopically, so you really always have cancer in your body. At stage 1, the cancer has not entered the surrounding tissue , the blood, or the lymph system. So when a stage 4 is NED, that just means the cancer is stable and so small the scans cannot pick it up. When a stage 1 is NED, there is vitually no cancer at all. That doesn't mean that that the person will always stay a stage 1, but it means they don't have circulating cancer in their system. Thats why the prognosis is so much different.But don't let the prognosis stuff scare you, as many many women are hammering the cancer over the head , and winning. At all stages.
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