Stages, types and grades of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer can start in different types of .
Doctors call pancreatic cancer that starts in the cells that make digestive juices exocrine pancreatic cancer. The information on this page is about a type of exocrine pancreatic cancer called pancreatic . It is the most common type of exocrine pancreatic cancer.
Find out more about the types of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer can also start in cells that make hormones. This is called endocrine pancreatic cancer or pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer.
Doctors stage and treat these 2 types of pancreatic cancer differently.
The tests and scans you have give your doctor some information about the stage. But they may not be able to tell you exactly until after surgery, if you are able to have it.
Knowing the stage of the cancer helps your doctor recommend the best treatment for you.
There are different ways to describe the stage of pancreatic cancer. Doctors may also use the number staging system.
Find out about the number staging system
Tumour (T) describes the size and depth of the tumour (area of cancer).
This can be either:
a very early stage pancreatic cancer that hasn't grown into the deeper layers of the pancreas - it is uncommon for pancreatic cancer to be diagnosed this early
abnormal cells in the pancreas. This isn’t cancer but can develop into cancer in the future
This means the cancer is inside the pancreas and is 2cm or less in any direction.
T1 is split into 3 stages:
T1a means the cancer is no more than 0.5cm
T1b means the cancer is more than 0.5cm but less than 1cm
T1c means the cancer is between 1cm and 2cm
This means the cancer is more than 2cm but no bigger than 4cm in any direction.
This means the cancer is bigger than 4cm but is still within the pancreas.
This means the cancer has grown outside the pancreas, into the nearby large blood vessels.
Node (N) describes whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.
N0 means there are no cancer cells in the nearby lymph nodes.
N1 means that 1 to 3 nearby lymph nodes contain cancer cells.
N2 means that there is cancer in 4 or more nearby lymph nodes.
Unfortunately, if the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes there is a higher chance it may have spread further away from the pancreas.
Metastasis (M) describes whether the cancer has spread to a different part of the body.
M0 means the cancer has not spread to other areas of the body.
M1 means the cancer has spread to other areas of the body such as the liver, lungs or lymph nodes further away from the pancreas.
Knowing the cancer stage helps your doctor decide which treatment to recommend. Treatment also depends on:
where in the pancreas the cancer is
if your surgeon can remove (resect) the cancer
any treatment you have had already
your general health and level of fitness
The stage of the cancer and these other factors can also give your doctor an idea about your outlook (prognosis).
Last reviewed: 20 Aug 2026
Next review due: 20 Aug 2029
Pancreatic cancer is cancer that starts in the pancreas. Find out about the pancreas and how it works.
Most people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after they become unwell and go to A&E. Others start by seeing their GP. Find out what to expect when you see your GP and any tests you might have.
Stage means the size of the cancer and whether it has spread. Type is the type of cell it started from. Grade means how abnormal the cells look. Knowing this information helps doctors recommend the best treatment.
The treatments for pancreatic cancer include chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy and treatment to control symptoms. There are lots of factors your doctor takes into account when recommending the best treatment for you.
Your treatment depends on the position of the cancer in the pancreas, how big it is, the type of pancreatic cancer, whether it has spread, if they can remove it with surgery and your general health.
