depends. all it means is where in the rpms the power is made or if they have it degreed to correct valve opening/closing.
advancing the cam moves the power towards the lower end, or away from the redline, making hp at a lower rpm. retarding the opposite and brings the range higher in the rpms.
advancing a cam 4degrees can move the power band down 200rpm, which helps low end lag. I would want to build my hp lower in rpm range with minor bolt ons, but it depends on what you want the motor to do and when you need the power to come on.
that said, you are also confused about degreeing a cam and advancing/retarding a cam. degreeing a cam ensures the cams factory specs and valve opeing/closeing are accurate. during manufacturing of the cams some of the tolerances or lost even though they are in spec, but other factors that effect the cam timing are the tolerances of the crank, timing chain, sprockets, etc. so when you align the timing marks for TDC on #1 those marks may be off by 2 degrees.
lets say you degree the cam, you advanced it 2 degrees to get to true TDC and get the camn into spec. then move it 4 degrees advanced for power gain. it's not advanced 6 degrees. 2 degrees where used to correct the cam. the 2 degrees advanced is now the baseline or true TDC. so it's only advanced 4 degrees.
