Staging Cancers of the Female Reproductive System*
Type | Stage I | Stage II | Stage III | Stage IV† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Only in the cervix | Spread outside the uterus (including the upper two thirds of the vagina and/or tissues outside the uterus) but still within the pelvis‡ | Spread throughout the pelvis and/or to the lower third of the vagina and/or blocks the ureters and/or causes a kidney to malfunction and/or spread to the lymph nodes near the aorta (the largest artery in the body) | Spread outside the pelvis and/or to the bladder or rectum or distant organs | |
Only in the body of the uterus (not in the cervix, which is the lower part of the uterus) | Spread to the cervix but is still within the uterus | Spread to nearby tissues, the vagina, or lymph nodes | Spread to the bladder and/or intestine and/or distant sites | |
Only in the body of the uterus | Spread outside the uterus to the ovary, fallopian tube, vagina, and/or nearby tissues | Spread to the lungs | Spread outside the lungs and uterus to distant sites, such as the brain, liver, kidneys, and/or digestive tract | |
Fallopian tube cancer Peritoneal cancer | Only in one or both ovaries or fallopian tubes | Spread to the uterus or nearby tissues within the pelvis or cancer only on the peritoneum (the tissue that lines the pelvis and abdomen)‡ | Spread outside the pelvis to lymph nodes and/or to other parts of the abdomen (such as the surface of the liver or spleen) | Spread to distant sites (for example, to the liver or lungs) |
Only in the vagina | Spread through the wall of the vagina to nearby tissues but still within the pelvis‡ | Spread throughout the pelvis and/or to lymph nodes and/or blocks the ureters and/or causes a kidney to malfunction | Spread to the bladder or rectum or outside of the pelvis | |
Only in the vulva | Spread to nearby tissues (the lower part of the urethra or vagina or to the anus) | Spread to the upper part of nearby structures and/or lymph nodes | Spread to distant sites or lymph nodes in the groin, forming sores or becoming stuck together or attached to bone | |
* Based on the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Staging System. | ||||
† Stage IV is sometimes further classified as A or B depending on where the cancer has spread. | ||||
‡ The pelvis refers to the lowest part of the abdomen, the area below the abdomen and between the hip bones. It contains the internal reproductive organs, bladder, and rectum. | ||||