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For Adult PatientsCancer CareCancer TypesThroat CancerThroat Cancer Diagnosis
Throat Cancer
Throat Cancer Symptoms & Signs
Types of Throat Cancer
Throat Cancer Causes & Risk Factors
Throat Cancer Diagnosis
Overview
Throat Cancer Stages
Throat Cancer Treatment
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Throat Cancer Doctors, Surgeons & Other Experts
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Throat Cancer Stages
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Throat Cancer Doctors, Surgeons & Other Experts
Meet the MSK throat cancer team of doctors, surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, and other
specialists who provide personalized care from diagnosis through treatment for people with throat cancer.
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Your doctor will tell you what stage of throat cancer you have as part of the diagnosis process. The stage
describes how widespread or advanced the cancer is. Determining the stage helps doctors explain the extent
of the cancer to you. It also helps them determine how to move forward with treatment, including surgery,
radiation therapy, or chemotherapy.

Your doctor will assign a stage to the cancer after your biopsy results or imaging test results are in. The stage
may be adjusted if you have additional tests or after surgery. There are five stages of throat cancer, starting at
zero and going up to four. (They are represented by the Roman numerals I, II, III, and IV.)

These are the basic stages of throat cancer:

Stage 0 Throat Cancer

Also called carcinoma in situ, this is the very beginning of the scale. It describes abnormal cells in the lining of
the throat that have the potential to become cancer.

Stage I Throat Cancer

Stage I describes a very early stage of cancer. The tumor is not more than two centimeters, and the cancer
has not reached the lymph nodes.

Stage II Throat Cancer