Cervical Cancer Stages / Staging

Staging is a system that describes the extent of cancer in the body. Our cancer doctors use a variety of diagnostic tests to stage cervical cancer and develop the best treatment plan for you. Staging is done after a biopsy, in which a sample of abnormal cells is taken and examined under a microscope. The cervical cancer staging process may include a combination of diagnostic tests to assess the spread and extent of the disease.

Your oncologist will stage the cancer based on how the disease develops in the body, including:

• The location of the original tumor.
• Tumor size and number of tumors.
• Whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.
• Cell appearance under a microscope.
• Whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, called metastasis.

Cervical Cancer Staging

Cervical cancer is staged using the TNM system:

• Tumor (T) describes the size of the original tumor.
• Lymph Node (N) indicates whether the cancer is present in the lymph nodes.
• Metastasis (M) refers to whether cancer has spread to other parts of the body, usually the liver, bones or brain.

Once the T, N and M scores have been determined, an overall cervical cancer stage is assigned.

Staging of cervical cancer:

• Stage 0 – The cancer cells are confined to the surface of the cervix. Also called carcinoma in situ (CIS) or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade III (CIN III).
• Stage I – The cancer has grown deeper into the cervix, but has not spread beyond it.
  • Stage IA – There is a very small amount of cancer, less than 5 mm deep and less than 7 mm wide, that can only be seen under a microscope.
  • Stage IB – The cancer can be seen and measures 4 cm or less; or the cancer can only be seen under a microscope and measures more than 5 mm deep and 7 mm wide.
• Stage II – The cancer has grown beyond the cervix and uterus, but has not reached the walls of the pelvis or the lower part of the vagina. In this stage of cervical cancer, the disease has not spread to lymph nodes or distant sites.
  • Stage IIA – The cancer has not spread into the tissues next to the cervix, the parametria, but it may have grown into the upper part of the vagina.
  • Stage IIB – The cancer has spread into the tissues next to the cervix, the parametria.
• Stage III – The cancer has spread to the lower part of the vagina or the walls of the pelvis, but not to nearby lymph nodes or other parts of the body.
  • Stage IIIA – The cancer has spread to the lower third of the vagina, but not to the walls of the pelvis.
  • Stage IIIB – The cancer has grown into the walls of the pelvis and/or has blocked both ureters, but has not spread to the lymph nodes or distant sites. Or the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in the pelvis, but not to distant sites.
• Stage IV – In this cervical cancer stage, the disease has spread to nearby organs or other parts of the body.
  • Stage IVA – The cancer has spread to the bladder or rectum, but not to the lymph nodes or distant sites.
  • Stage IVB – The cancer has spread to organs beyond the pelvis, such as the lungs or liver.

Next Topic: Cervical Cancer Treatments