Staging systems provide doctors with a common language for describing tumors. After cervical cancer is diagnosed, a series of tests are used to investigate the extent of the cancer and to see whether it has spread to other parts of the body from where it started.
Staging is a way of recording the size, aggressiveness and growth of a cancer, and determining the plan for treatment. By understanding the stage of your cancer, you can make informed decisions about your treatment.
Staging cancer attempts to discover the following:
- The size of the tumor
- Whether the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes and tissues
- Whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body
Staging cervical cancer helps Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center gynecologic oncologists compare an individual situation to other patients with cervical cancer. They can also review clinical studies on groups of patients in similar cancer stages to determine how the cancer may behave, and how different treatments may work.
Staging cervical cancer
Once cancer has been diagnosed, the stage of the cancer must be determined. Staging cervical cancer helps gynecologic oncologists determine the most effective therapy for each individual case. To determine accurate staging, you may require a pelvic exam under anesthesia, cystoscopy (examination of the lining of the bladder with a camera), proctoscopy (examination of the inside of the rectum with a scope), and radiologic scan (IVP-intravenous pyelogram, CT scan, or PET/CT scan).
There are four stages of cervical cancer and each stage is broken into the following sections:
Stage I:
The cancer has spread into the cervix, but has not gone any further. This stage is divided into the following groups:
- Stage IA: Microscopic Cancer – with deepest invasion < 5mm and largest estension < 7mm.
- Stage IA1: It is less than 3 mm deep and less than 7 mm wide.
- Stage IA2: It is between 3 and 5 mm deep, but still less than 7 mm wide.
- Stage IB: Visible Cancer
- Stage IB1: It is no bigger than 4 cm in size.
- Stage IB2: It is larger than 4 cm in size.
Stage II:
The cancer has spread beyond the uterus, but not to the pelvic wall or to the lower third of the vagina. Stage II is divided into the following groups:
- Stage IIA: No spread to the parametria (the tissues next to the cervix).
- Stage IIA1: less than 4 cm in size
- Stage IIA2: more than 4 cm in size
- Stage IIB: The cancer has spread to the parametria (tissues next to the cervix).
- Stage IIB1: less than 4 cm in size
- Stage IIB2: more than 4 cm in size
Stage III:
The cancer has spread to the pelvic wall and/or the lower third of the vagina. Stage III is further divided into these groups:
- Stage IIIA: The cancer has spread to the lower third of the vagina. It has not spread to the wall of the pelvis.
- Stage IIIB: The cancer has spread to the pelvic wall. It may block one or both of the tubes that drain urine from the kidneys (called the ureters).
Stage IV:
The cancer has spread to other parts of the body such as the bladder, rectum, or lungs. Stage IV is further divided in these ways:
- Stage IVA: The cancer has spread to nearby organs.
- Stage IVB: The cancer has spread to distant organs, such as the lungs.