Shocking! Sonali Bendre diagnosed with fourth stage cancer. - Page 2

Cancer stages

Different types of staging systems are used for different types of cancer. Below is an example of one common method of staging:

• stage 0 indicates that the cancer is where it started (in situ) and hasn't spread
• stage I the cancer is small and hasn't spread anywhere else
• stage II the cancer has grown, but hasn't spread
• stage III the cancer is larger and may have spread to the surrounding tissues and/or the lymph nodes (part of the lymphatic system)
• stage IV the cancer has spread from where it started to at least one other body organ; also known as "secondary" or "metastatic" cancer

Cancer grades

The grade of a cancer depends on what the cells look like under a microscope.

In general, a lower grade indicates a slower-growing cancer and a higher grade indicates a faster-growing one. The grading system that's usually used is as follows:

• grade I cancer cells that resemble normal cells and aren't growing rapidly
• grade II cancer cells that don't look like normal cells and are growing faster than normal cells
• grade III cancer cells that look abnormal and may grow or spread more aggressively

On May 26, Rajeswari Ayyappan, the 59-year-old mother of the Indian actress known as Sridevi, underwent surgery for a malignant tumor on the left side of her brain. The tumor, however, was left intact because her neurosurgeon took another patient's X-rays into the operating room and operated on the wrong side of Mrs. Ayyappan's brain.

Mrs. Ayyappan was transferred to New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, where another surgeon removed the tumor. She was in stable condition yesterday.

A spokeswoman for Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Christine Westerman, said yesterday that the neurosurgeon, whom she would not identify, had lost surgical privileges and that the case had been referred to the New York State Department of Health.

An internal review at the hospital, she said, had found that the neurosurgeon "was unable to locate the tumor because it was later found that the surgeon had brought the wrong set of films into the operating room." She added, "The patient was closed and returned to her room." Ms. Westerman would not comment on whether the botched surgery had damaged Mrs. Ayyappan's brain functions.

In an effort to "insure that this cannot happen again," she said, the hospital will now require that a presurgical checklist be signed by an operating surgeon and a senior nurse.