Stages of Ovarian Epithelial Cancer
Key Points for This Section
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After ovarian epithelial cancer has been diagnosed,
tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the ovaries or to
other parts of the body.
The process used to find out if cancer has spread within the ovary or to other parts of the body
is called staging. The information gathered from the
staging process determines the stage of the disease. It is important
to know the stage in
order to plan treatment.
An operation called a laparotomy is usually done to find
out the stage of the disease. A doctor must cut into the abdomen and carefully look at all
the organs to see if they contain cancer. The doctor will also perform a biopsy (cut out small pieces of tissue so they can be looked at under a microscope to
see whether they contain cancer). Usually the doctor will remove the cancer and
organs that contain cancer during the laparotomy. (See the Treatment
Options by Stage section.)
There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.
The three ways that cancer spreads in the body are:
- Through tissue. Cancer invades the surrounding normal tissue.
- Through the lymph system. Cancer invades the lymph system and travels through the lymph vessels to other places in the body.
- Through the blood. Cancer invades the veins and capillaries and travels through the blood to other places in the body.
When cancer cells break away from the primary (original) tumor and travel through the lymph or blood to other places in the body, another (secondary) tumor may form. This process is called metastasis. The secondary (metastatic) tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if breast cancer spreads to the bones, the cancer cells in the bones are actually breast cancer cells. The disease is metastatic breast cancer, not bone cancer.
The following stages are used for ovarian epithelial
cancer:
Stage I
In stage I, cancer is
found in one or both of the ovaries. Stage I is divided into stage IA, stage IB, and stage IC.
Stage II
In stage II, cancer is
found in one or both ovaries and has spread into other areas of the pelvis. Stage II is divided
into stage IIA, stage IIB, and stage IIC.
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Pea, peanut, walnut, and lime show tumor sizes. |
Stage III
In stage III, cancer is found in one or both ovaries and has spread to other parts of the abdomen.
Stage III is divided into stage IIIA, stage IIIB, and stage IIIC.
Cancer that has spread to the surface of the liver is also considered stage III disease.
Stage IV
In stage IV, cancer is
found in one or both ovaries and has metastasized (spread) beyond the abdomen to other
parts of the body.
Cancer that has spread to tissues in the liver is also considered stage IV disease.
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