The precise staging system used will depend on the type of cancer the patient has. In general low stage patients are those with localised tumours that are easily resectable, whilst high stage patients are those with widespread metastases. The treatment given may largely depend upon which stage the patient is at diagnosis. Prognosis is the expected outcome of a disease and it's treatment, this may be influenced by a variety of factors such as stage, age, site etc. For example, in general a patient with localised disease may have a more favourable prognosis compared to a patient with widespread disease which may be less favourable.
Remission is where the symptoms of cancer are no longer present.
There is no longer any evidence of the disease using the available investigations. This is when the disease reoccurs after a period in remission. Refractory This is where the cancer is resistant to treatment, patient may nevergo into remission, possibly with stable or progressive disease. Restaging This is where the patient is staged again after a period of treatment to access the response to therapy. When treatment is complete the periodic visits to the physician are needed to monitor the patient and ensure there has been no recurrence of the disease.