This page was reviewed under our medical and editorial policy by
Maurie Markman, MD, President, Medicine & Science
This page was updated on July 20, 2022.
Making an educated treatment decision begins with knowing the cancer stage, or progression, of the cancer. The results from diagnostic tests are used to develop a treatment plan tailored to the patient, based on the stage of the disease and other factors. In most cases, ovarian cancer is staged during the initial surgery.
For patients who’ve been recently diagnosed, a pathology will also be reviewed to confirm that they’ve received the correct diagnosis and staging information. For those with a recurrence, comprehensive testing will be used to identify an individualized treatment approach.
Most ovarian cancers are staged through the TNM system, which uses surgical results to determine the extent of the disease. The staging guidelines developed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) are often used to stage ovarian cancers. The stages are based on three categories:
T (tumor) describes the primary tumor size.
N (node) indicates whether the ovarian cancer cells have spread to regional lymph nodes.
M (metastasis) refers to whether the cancer has metastasized (spread) to distant areas of the body, such as the liver, bones or brain.
Once a patient's T, N and M categories have been assigned, that information is used to stage the cancer according to a particular group, which is denoted by numbers and subcategories.
This system is also used to stage fallopian tube cancer and primary peritoneal cancer.
First, doctors use these criteria to determine the cancer’s progression:
In stage 1, the cancer is confined to the ovaries and hasn’t spread to the abdomen, pelvis or lymph nodes, nor to distant sites. It’s considered an early-stage cancer, which means that it offers the highest survival rate.
If a patient has a tumor, which may be removed during biopsy or surgery, then it typically is given a tumor grade. Grades may be low or high, ranging from levels 1 to 3. The latter two are high-grade, and may grow much faster.
Following surgery, additional treatment may not be required for stage 1 ovarian cancer, especially if a patient has a low-grade tumor. However, if a patient is diagnosed with stage 1B or 1C, then chemotherapy may be recommended, in addition to further surgery or other treatments.
In stage 2, the cancer has spread from one or both ovaries to other areas of the pelvis. However, the cancer hasn’t spread to nearby lymph nodes or distant sites.
A patient may undergo surgery for staging and debulking, including a full hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of both fallopian tubes and both ovaries), as well as chemotherapy.
In stage 3, the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes and/or other parts of the abdomen, but it hasn’t spread to distant sites.
Treatment for stage 3 is often similar to that of stage 2, but it may require more chemotherapy treatments and more monitoring for follow-up treatment.
Treatment for stage 4 ovarian cancer depends on individual needs and what the cancer team recommends. It may begin with surgery or chemotherapy.
Fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancers are also treated similarly to ovarian cancer.
Determining a cancer’s stage helps the care team decide on a treatment plan, but it also helps predict outcomes. Survival statistics are often calculated by stage and presented as five-year relative survival rates, based on the number of people alive five or more years after their diagnosis compared to those who don't have the disease. While these numbers can help patients better understand their potential prognosis, they are only estimates based on averages rather than individuals. They also reflect the outcomes of patients in the past and may not account for recent advances in treatment.
In 2024, about 19,680 women in the United States will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and about 12,740 will die, according to the American Cancer Society.
The National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program places the overall five-year relative ovarian cancer survival rate at 50.8 percent. However, survival rates vary depending on the stage:
The stage of cancer is an important predictor of outcome. Stage 1 ovarian cancer has a higher survival rate than stage 4 ovarian cancer. However, countless other factors also may influence an individual’s experience with cancer, such as the patient’s overall health, age and cancer subtype.