Borja Semper announces he has cancer: what does it mean if it's stage 1?

This morning, Popular Party spokesperson Borja Semper announced that he has been diagnosed with a tumor that will require "demanding treatment" but with a "reasonable" prognosis. Although he did not specify its location or type, he did clarify that it is "stage I."

The stages of cancer are, in essence, the different stages of disease progression. Stage I is the first of these stages, and it is at this stage that the patient has the best prospects for treatment and recovery.

What are the stages of cancer?

According to the National Cancer Institute of the United States, cancer staging is the grading that primarily refers to the extent of the tumor, as well as other details such as its size and spread. Knowing this parameter can be crucial for doctors to understand the severity of the tumor and the patient's chances of survival , plan the most appropriate course of treatment, and identify clinical trials that are potential experimental treatment options in each case.

An important aspect is that cancer is always named after the stage at which it was diagnosed , even if it may later grow or spread. In fact, information about subsequent changes is added to the initial staging; even if the cancer changes, the stage does not change.

The stage of a cancer is determined through a series of tests, including X-rays, laboratory tests, and other procedures, which are the same ones generally used to diagnose the disease.

Staging tumor, lymph node, metastasis

Perhaps the most common system, used for the vast majority of cancers in most medical centers and hospitals around the world, is the TNM system, or Tumor, Lymph Node, Metastasis. When a cancer patient receives their pathology report, they will most likely find the diagnosis in this system, unless another system is used exceptionally for their specific tumor type.

It is expressed with these letters , followed by numbers that provide more information about the degree of spread of the tumor. In each case, they mean:

1. Primary tumor:

2. Lymph node:

3. Distant metastasis:

Other systems

The TNM system is very detailed , so in many cases we group the different combinations of these parameters into five more general groups, which are:

That is, according to this nomenclature, the higher the number, the more advanced the cancer. This system is often accompanied by letters or numbers that describe the cancer in more detail.

There is also a final system that tends to be used more in cancer registries than in clinical settings, although some healthcare professionals may use it . It distinguishes five categories, which are:

References

National Cancer Institute. Cancer Staging. Accessed online at https://www.cancer.gov/cancer/diagnosis-staging/staging on July 14, 2025.

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