Can a kidney biopsy that is full examined and is "positive" for cancer Stage the level of cancer? My mom's urologist was ambiguous. He said stomach CT scan looked at the lymph nodes and there was nothing there. Is "Staging" only possible with subsequent scans that look at other parts of the body for cancer evidence? O does the entire mass need to be removed to see if underlying tissues have been impacted? He scheduled subsequent CT (chest) and bone scan.