What is the main goal of staging cancer in small animals?

The primary goal of staging cancer in small animals is to predict the outcome and prognosis of the disease. Staging involves assessing the extent of cancer spread within the body, which provides critical information about how advanced the disease is. This information is crucial for veterinarians to give pet owners a realistic understanding of the potential outcomes, including survival rates and the likelihood of disease progression.

Accurate staging helps in evaluating how the cancer may behave over time, which can inform decisions regarding treatment options and help set appropriate expectations for the animal's journey with the disease. Staging is a vital aspect of cancer management as it allows veterinarians to estimate prognosis based on the specific characteristics of the cancer type and its stage.

While determining a treatment plan, assessing overall health, and evaluating treatment response are important aspects of cancer care, they are secondary to the role of staging in predicting clinical outcomes. Staging lays the foundation for all further decision-making regarding treatment and monitoring.