Understanding tumor grade
What grade 1, 2, and 3 mean
Sources checked: September 2026
The short version
Grade describes how abnormal cancer cells look under a microscope compared with normal cells, usually scored 1 to 3. It is different from stage, which describes how far the cancer has spread.
Tumor grade describes how much cancer cells look and behave like normal, healthy cells when examined under a microscope. It is scored from 1 to 3 and is different from stage, which describes how far the cancer has spread in the body.
- Grade 1 (low grade) — cells look relatively close to normal and tend to grow more slowly
- Grade 2 (intermediate grade) — a middle pattern
- Grade 3 (high grade) — cells look quite different from normal and tend to grow more quickly
Grade is one factor among several — including stage and biomarkers — that your care team weighs together, not a standalone predictor of outcome on its own.
Questions you may want to ask
What grade is my cancer, and how does that factor into my treatment plan?