Stages of Endometrial Cancer
Key Points for This Section
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After endometrial cancer has been diagnosed, tests are
done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the uterus or to other
parts of the body.
The process used to find out whether the cancer has spread within the uterus 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. Certain tests and procedures are used in the staging process. A hysterectomy (an operation in
which the uterus is removed) will usually be done to help find out how far the
cancer has spread.
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 endometrial
cancer:
Stage I
In stage I, cancer is
found in the uterus only. Stage I is divided
into stages IA, IB, and IC, based on how far the cancer has spread.
Stage II
In stage II, cancer has spread from the uterus to the cervix, but has not spread outside the uterus. Stage II
is divided into stages IIA and IIB, based on how far the cancer has spread
into the cervix.
Stage III
In stage III, cancer has spread beyond the uterus and cervix, but has not spread beyond the pelvis. Stage III is divided into
stages IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC, based on how far the cancer has spread within the pelvis.
Stage IV
In stage IV, cancer has spread beyond the pelvis. Stage IV is divided into stages IVA and IVB,
based on how far the cancer has spread.
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