Biopsy and staging
Tue, Nov 24, 2026 · Week 14 · Genetics of Disease (Medical Interventions)
Today's goal: Explain how a biopsy and staging move a suspicious finding toward a treatment decision.
What a finished product looks like
This is a model of the work you should turn in today. Use it to check your own: match the structure and the level of detail, do not copy it. Your data and wording should be your own.
Diagnostic workflow, in order:
1. Biopsy: remove a small piece of the suspicious tissue so a pathologist can confirm whether it is cancer and what type.
2. Pathology read: examine the tissue to confirm malignancy and measure tumor size.
3. Check for spread: look at whether nearby lymph nodes are involved and whether the cancer has reached distant sites (metastasis).
4. Assign a stage: combine tumor size, lymph-node involvement, and metastasis into a Roman-numeral stage (for example, Stage II).
Stage-to-treatment sentence: A higher stage usually changes the plan because the cancer has spread further, so local treatment alone is often not enough and doctors add systemic treatment like chemotherapy.
| Case | Tumor size | Spread found | Assigned stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case 1 | Small, under 2 cm | No nodes, no metastasis | Stage I |
| Case 2 | Larger, with nearby lymph nodes | Nodes positive, no distant spread | Stage III |
Also due today: Submit your diagnostic-workflow ticket to the course shell before the end of block.
WebXam problem for today's skill
One exam-style question that uses exactly what you practiced today. Try it before you reveal the answer, then read why each choice is right or wrong.
Tap an answer to see the full explanation. Nothing is recorded or graded.