Common terms
Localised
Invasive
Metastatic
the cancer is still confined
to the site of origin and has
not yet invaded the
surrounding tissues or
spread to other sites
the cancer has spread
from the site of origin into
the surrounding tissues
the cancer has spread to
distant sites in the body to
form new tumours
Grade
Stage
how abnormal cancer cells appear in comparison
to normal cells and how aggressive the cancer is
Low grade – nearly normal in appearance;
slow rate of growth and metastasis
High grade – very abnormal-looking cells;
high rate of growth and metastasis
classification of the cancer,
important for treatment
decisions, based on the
size, presence or absence
of metastasis and involvement of lymph nodes
Cancer categories
Carcinoma
Sarcoma
Leukaemia
cancer of the skin or
tissues that line or
cover the internal
organs
cancer of bone,
cartilage, muscle, fat,
blood vessels, and
connective tissues
cancer of the bone
marrow affecting the
white blood cells
Lymphoma
cancer arising in the
lymph glands
Central nervous
system cancers
cancer of the brain or
spinal cord
Making sense of cancer names
Artwork originally created for the National Cancer Institute.
Reprinted with permission of the artist, Jeanne Kelly. Copyright 2013.