Superficially invasive is a term pathologists use to describe cancer that has only spread a small distance into the non-cancerous surrounding tissue. The term ‘superficially invasive’ may be used to describe many different types of cancers. The actual distance that the tumour cells may spread into the normal tissue in order to be called ‘superficially invasive’ varies between cancer types. The term ‘superficially invasive’ is not a diagnosis by itself. Rather, it is a description used to support the diagnosis.