* It means it is wider spread
Doctors and the medical field use "stages" to determine where a patient is on a cancer scale. The scale has been defined in terms of size of growth. There are five stages of pancreatic cancer, with a couple different distinctions.
Stage 0 means there is no pancreatic cancer in any of the cells. In this stage the cancer is not visible on any imaging tests or to the naked eye, but that does not mean pancreatic cancer might not develop.
Stage 1 is local growth in which it is limited to the pancreas and is less than 2 centimeters in size for stage 1A. In stage 1B there is a greater mass than 2 centimeters.
These early stages help us explain Stage 3B of pancreatic cancer. Stage three obviously comes after the two stages already discussed. It also comes after Stage 2A and 2B in which the pancreatic cancer is moving beyond local growth to local spread. In stage 2B the masses are larger and the cancer is outside of the pancreas. It can also be on the lymph nodes by then.
Stage 3B is wider spread in which the tumor is expanding or has expanded to nearby blood vessels or nerves. The pancreatic cancer cells cannot be seen in other organs as of yet and the growth is larger given that it is stage 3B instead of stage 3A. In this stage surgery is a must along with other cancer treatments.
Stage 4 is the final stage in which there is a confirmed spread to other organs. It is still pancreatic cancer because the cells have spread starting from the pancreas to infect other organs. Surgery can be risky the longer the cancer is in the body and the further it spreads. It is also difficult in stage 3B, but necessary if the patient can handle it.
Doctors and the medical field use "stages" to determine where a patient is on a cancer scale. The scale has been defined in terms of size of growth. There are five stages of pancreatic cancer, with a couple different distinctions.
Stage 0 means there is no pancreatic cancer in any of the cells. In this stage the cancer is not visible on any imaging tests or to the naked eye, but that does not mean pancreatic cancer might not develop.
Stage 1 is local growth in which it is limited to the pancreas and is less than 2 centimeters in size for stage 1A. In stage 1B there is a greater mass than 2 centimeters.
These early stages help us explain Stage 3B of pancreatic cancer. Stage three obviously comes after the two stages already discussed. It also comes after Stage 2A and 2B in which the pancreatic cancer is moving beyond local growth to local spread. In stage 2B the masses are larger and the cancer is outside of the pancreas. It can also be on the lymph nodes by then.
Stage 3B is wider spread in which the tumor is expanding or has expanded to nearby blood vessels or nerves. The pancreatic cancer cells cannot be seen in other organs as of yet and the growth is larger given that it is stage 3B instead of stage 3A. In this stage surgery is a must along with other cancer treatments.
Stage 4 is the final stage in which there is a confirmed spread to other organs. It is still pancreatic cancer because the cells have spread starting from the pancreas to infect other organs. Surgery can be risky the longer the cancer is in the body and the further it spreads. It is also difficult in stage 3B, but necessary if the patient can handle it.