Cancer staging is the process of determining the extent and severity of cancer in the body. Other terms that can be used to describe cancer staging include cancer classification, cancer grading, and cancer diagnosis. Cancer staging helps healthcare providers to determine the most appropriate treatment plan for a patient, as well as to predict the likely outcome of the disease. Other synonyms for cancer staging include tumor staging, cancer prognosis, and cancer localization. Each of these terms describes an aspect of the process used to identify and classify cancer in the body, and they are essential elements of effective cancer care.