If the biopsy shows that the patient has bladder cancer, additional tests are done to determine if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The process of determining the extent of cancer spread is known as staging the disease. Staging is important because it a major factor in determining the most effective course of treatment.

Tumor stage is confined to one of two categories:

• Superficial tumors on the surface of the bladder
• Tumors that have spread outside the bladder