Ovarian Cancer Stages / Staging
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Video: Ovarian Cancer Staging
Dr. Timothy McCay, a radiologist at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, briefly discusses the diagnostic imaging tools used to stage ovarian cancer.Ovarian Cancer Staging
Dr. Timothy McCay, a radiologist at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, briefly discusses the diagnostic imaging tools used to stage ovarian cancer.
Stages of Ovarian Cancer
Staging is a system that describes the extent of cancer in the body. Our cancer doctors use a variety of diagnostic tests to stage ovarian cancer and develop the best treatment plan for you.
Ovarian cancer staging is done during surgery, and generally requires removing lymph nodes, samples of tissue from the diaphragm and other abdominal organs, and fluid from the abdomen.
Your oncologist will stage ovarian 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
Ovarian Cancer Staging
The ovarian cancer staging process uses 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 assigned, an overall ovarian cancerstage is assigned.
Staging for ovarian cancer:
- Stage I – The cancer is limited to one or both ovaries
- IA - Cancer is confined to one ovary. No cancer cells are present on the surface of the ovary or in the pelvis or abdomen.
- IB - Cancer is present inside both ovaries, but no cancer cells are present on the surface of the ovaries, in the pelvis or the abdomen.
- IC - Cancer is present in one or both of the ovaries. In addition, cancer cells are present on the surfaces of one or both ovaries; one tumor has ruptured; or cancer cells are found in fluid samples from the abdomen.
- Stage II – In this ovarian cancer stage, the disease has spread from the ovary to the pelvic organs, such as the fallopian tubes or uterus.
- IIA - Cancer is present in one or both of the ovaries and has spread into the uterus or fallopian tubes. No cancer cells are present in the abdomen.
- IIB - Cancer is present in one or both of the ovaries and has spread to other pelvic organs, such as the bladder, colon or rectum.
- IIC - Cancer is present in one or both ovaries, and the cancer has spread to the pelvic organs and is found in fluid samples from the abdomen.
- Stage III – The cancer has spread from the ovary and beyond the pelvis to the abdomen or nearby lymph nodes.
- IIIA - Cancer is present in one or both of the ovaries, and cancer cells are also present in microscopic amounts in the abdominal fluid.
- IIIB - Cancer is present in one or both of the ovaries, and cancer cells are also present in tumors smaller than 2 cm in the abdominal lining.
- IIIC - Cancer is present in one or both of the ovaries, and cancer cells are also present in tumors larger than 2 cm in the abdominal lining or in the nearby lymph nodes.
- Stage IV – In this stage of ovarian cancer, the disease has spread from the ovary to distant sites in the body, such as the liver or lungs.
Next Topic: Ovarian Cancer Treatment
