For a TURB showing urothelial carcinoma, what type of staging is assigned?

In the context of a transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURB) showing urothelial carcinoma, the correct type of staging assigned is pathological staging. Pathological staging refers to the assessment of the extent of cancer based on the examination of tissue specimens obtained during surgery or biopsy. This includes determining how deeply cancer has penetrated into the bladder wall and whether lymph nodes or other tissues are affected.

During a TURB procedure, the tumor is removed, and the specimen is sent to a pathology lab for microscopic examination. Pathologists assess the histological characteristics of the tumor, including its grade and stage, based on established criteria such as the TNM system (Tumor, Node, Metastasis classification). This post-operative evaluation provides a more accurate understanding of the disease's extent than clinical staging alone, which is based on physical examination and imaging studies prior to surgery.

Clinical staging primarily relies on non-invasive measures to estimate the extent of the disease before an intervention, whereas definitive staging usually entails a comprehensive evaluation post-treatment but may not focus exclusively on surgical specimens. Invasive staging is not a recognized term within standard cancer staging nomenclature. Thus, pathological staging is the appropriate classification for cases identified through TURB.