Staging is the determination of the level of malign muscle skeleton system tumors. This information is highly critical in the planning of the treatment.
With some exceptions, all the muscle skeleton system tumors are based on a common cell (mesodermal). Regardless of malign or benign, they have the potential for similar behaviors. In other words, malign tumor can be assumed to be benign tumor. That’s why, except for some obvious benign tumors (i.e. ganglion cysts), the diagnosis and treatment logic shcedule should be applied for the muscle skeleton system tumors (sarcomas). The most important feature of this logic Schedule is that it has no possibility to make mistakes in diagnosis or determination of the mass stage (staging). Wait and see method should not be applied except for the obviously benign tumors. Staging is the determination of the mass’s cell type, aggresive character, size in its place, whether it has extension to the surrounding tissues and whether it has spread to the other prgans (lung etc.), and its probable behavior model in the future.
An appropriate treatment protocol can be made only after the determination of all these factors. To summarize, staging determines the stage of the malign muscle skeleton system tumors. This information is highly critical in the planning of the treatment. Staging also gives information on the cell diagnosis. Some cell types may not respond to some treatment methods. For example, it is seen that cartilage based malign tumors generally do not respond to radiotherapy or cemotherpy positively. THUS, THE STAGE OF THE DISEASE DETERMINES THE SURGICAL TREATMENT TO BE PERFORMED AND WHETHER CEMOTHERAPY AND RADIOTHERAOY IS APPROPRIATE OR NOT. The lower the stage of the malig mass, the higher the rate of survival and preserving the organ.
