Uterine Cancer Staging
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Uterine Cancer Staging
Uterine cancer staging helps gauge the extent to which the disease has spread in the body. Patients should understand their uterine cancer stage, because this helps determine a course of treatment.
Doctors typically use a system for staging that was developed by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO). This system uses a series of Roman numerals, I-IV, and the letters A, B and C to identify the different stages. As a general rule of thumb, an earlier-stage endometrial cancer is assigned a lower number; while more advanced forms have higher numbers.
Stages of Uterine Cancer
The spread of uterine cancer is categorized by one of five stages:
Early Stage Uterine Cancer
Stage I Uterine Cancer - Doctors have found the uterine sarcoma in the main part of the uterus. The disease has not spread anywhere else in the body.
- Stage IA - The cancer was found in the endometrium (the lining of the uterus).
- Stage IB - The cancer has spread from the endometrium at least half way into the myometrium (muscular wall of the uterus).
- Stage IC - The cancer has spread from the endometrium all the way through the myometrium, but was not found beyond the body of the uterus.
Stage II Uterine Cancer - The cancer has spread from the uterus to the cervix, but the cancer is not found elsewhere in the body.
- Stage IIA - The cancer is found throughout the uterus and in the lining of the cervix.
- Stage IIB - The cancer has spread from the uterus and into the lining of the cervix and the supporting connective tissue.
Late Stage Uterine Cancer
Stage III Uterine Cancer - The cancer remains contained in the pelvic area and may be found throughout the uterus, cervix and connective tissues.
- Stage IIIA - The cancer has progressed to the fallopian tubes or ovaries, the peritoneal fluid and the serosa (tissue on the outer surface of the uterus).
- Stage IIIB - The cancer has spread to the vagina, but not to the lymph nodes or distant parts of the body.
- Stage IIIC - The cancer has continued to progress, spreading to the lymph nodes near the uterus.
Stage IV Uterine Cancer - The cancer continues to advance, spreading to the inner surface of the urinary bladder or the rectum to the lymph nodes in the groin and/or to distant organs such as the lungs.
- Stage IVA - The cancer has spread to the mucosa, which is the inner lining of the rectum or urinary bladder. The cancer may also have spread to the lymph nodes but not to distant parts of the body.
- Stage IVB - The cancer has spread to the organs next to the uterus or to distant lymph nodes.
For more information on uterine cancer staging, and how Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) uses this information to help create your individualized treatment plan, contact one of our Oncology Informational Specialists at 1-800-615-3055 or Chat Online.
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