You can hear your doctor speak of your cancer grade. The grade of the tumour identifies a tumour as to how abnormal the tumour cells are relative to normal cells. It also explains how the tissues appear anomalous under a microscope.

The grade gives your doctor some insight as to how the cancer will act. A low-grade cancer is likely to develop more slowly and to spread less frequently than a high-grade one. Doctors are not sure precisely how the cells will behave. But the grade is a valuable parameter.