What Is the Role of Histology in Determining Prognosis and Treatment?
Histology provides valuable information on the grade and stage of the cancer, which are critical for determining prognosis and guiding treatment strategies:
- Tumor Grade: Indicates the degree of differentiation; high-grade tumors are poorly differentiated and more aggressive. - Tumor Stage: Assessed by the extent of invasion into surrounding tissues and the presence of metastasis. The TNM staging system is commonly used.
Histological features such as lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and tumor budding also provide prognostic information. For example, the presence of perineural invasion in pancreatic cancer is associated with a poorer prognosis.
