When we hear the word “cancer,” most of us immediately think of aggressive treatments, daunting prognoses, and the infamous stages I through IV, each of which represent a progressively more advanced and threatening phase of the disease. But there exists an often-overlooked prelude to these four steps: stage 0 cancer.
Despite its medical importance, stage 0 cancer remains largely absent from public awareness. In fact, even people who are vigilant about their health may have never heard of it. This stage is elusive by nature. It doesn’t always form tumors, it often lacks symptoms, and for many cancer types it can’t be detected with standard imaging.
So, in which cancer types is it detectable? And does identifying it so early offer patients a better opportunity to intervene? Click through this gallery to find out.