Download Staging cervical cancer

Call us
13 11 20
Staging cervical cancer
Listen
Last reviewed October 2013
Contents
Staging
Grading
Prognosis
Information reviewed by
The process of finding out how far the cancer has spread is called staging. Information from examinations
and diagnostic tests is used to determine the size of the tumour, how deeply the tumour has invaded tissues
within and around the cervix, and the spread of the lymph nodes or distant organs (metastasis).
The grade of a cancer describes to what degree the cells have changed. Knowing the stage of the cancer
and the grade helps the doctors to decide on the most appropriate treatment.
Staging
If tests find cervical cancer one of four main stages will be used to describe your cancer. Each stage then
has further sub-divisions.
Stage 1 - The cancer cells are only within the cervix.
Stage 1 can be further divided into:
Stage 1A
The cancer can only be seen under the microscope
Stage 1A1
The cancer has invaded to a depth of 3mm or less and has a
width of 7mm or less
Stage 1A2
The cancer is between 3 and 5mm deep and is 7mm or less wide
Stage 1B
The cancer is visible but still confined to the cervix
Stage 1B1
The cancer in not larger than 4cm
Stage 1B2
The cancer is larger than 4cm
Stage 2 - The cancer has spread into surrounding structures, such as the vagina or the tissues
next to the cervix
Stage 2 can be further divided into:
Stage 2A
The cancer has spread into the upper part of the
vagina
Stage
2A1
The tumour size is not larger than 4cm
Stage 2A2 The tumour size is larger than 4cm
Stage 2B
The cancer has spread into the tissue next to the cervix
Stage 3 - The cancer has spread to areas such as the lower part of the vagina or the tissues at
the sides of the pelvic area
Stage 3 can be further divided into:
Stage 3A
The cancer has spread into the lower part of the vagina
Stage 3B
The cancer has spread throughout to the tissue at the sides of
the pelvic area and may be pressing on one of the ureters (the
tubes urine passes through from the kidneys to the bladder). If
the tumour is causing pressure on a ureter, there may be a buildup of urine in the kidney
Stage 4 - The cancer has spread to the bladder or bowel or beyond the pelvic area
Stage 4 can be further divided into:
Stage 4A
Stage 4B
The cancer has spread to nearby organs such as the bladder
and bowel
The cancer has spread to distant organs such as the lungs, liver
or bone
Your doctors may also use the following terms to describe your cancer:
Early stage cervical cancer – this usually includes stages 1A to 1B
Locally advanced cervical cancer – this usually includes stages 2A to 4A
Advanced-stage cervical cancer – this usually means stage 4B
Recurrent: If the cancer comes back after initial treatment, this is known as recurrent cancer. Cervical
cancer may come back in the cervix or in another part of the body.
Grading
A pathologist will use tests on your cancer biopsy to ‘grade’ your cancer. Grade refers to the extent of
similarity of cancer cells to normal cells. Low-grade tumours tend to grow more slowly while high-grade
tumours grow faster and spread more quickly.
Prognosis
Prognosis means the expected outcome of a disease. You will need to discuss your prognosis and treatment
options with your doctor, but it is not possible for any doctor to predict the exact course of your disease.
However the sooner cervical cancer is diagnosed, the better the prognosis. Most women with early cervical
cancer will be cured.
Test results, the type of cancer you have, the rate and depth of tumour growth, how well you respond to
treatment and other factors such as age, fitness and medical history are all important factors in assessing
your prognosis.
Information reviewed by: A/Prof Selvan Pather, Gynaecological Oncologist, Sydney Cancer Centre,
A/Prof in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Sydney, NSW; Continence Foundation of Australia;
Carmen Heathcote, Cancer Council Queensland Helpline Consultant; Yvonne Howlett, Cancer Council
Queensland Helpline Consultant; A/Prof Michael Jackson, Director, Radiation Oncology, Prince of Wales
Hospital, NSW; and Anne Steng, Patient.
Content printed from https://www.cancersa.org.au/information/a-z-index/staging-cervical-cancer
This website is made possible by the generous support of South Australians.
Copyright © 2010-2017 Cancer Council SA