Stages of ovarian cancer

• A quick guide to what's on this page
• Staging ovarian cancer
• Borderline tumours
• Stage 1
• Stage 2
• Stage 3
• Stage 4

The stage of a cancer tells the doctor how far it has spread. The tests and scans you have to diagnose your cancer will give some information about the stage. It is important because treatment is often decided according to the stage.

Doctors use a simple 1 to 4 staging system for ovarian cancer. It is called the FIGO system after its authors - the International Federation of Gynaecological Oncologists.

Borderline tumours are made up of low grade cells. This means they are slow growing. They have not yet begun to spread into or damage the normal ovarian tissue around them.

Stage 1 ovarian cancer means the cancer is only in the ovaries. It is divided into three groups

• Stage 1a = The cancer is contained inside one ovary
• Stage 1b = The cancer is contained inside both ovaries

• Stage 1c = 1a or 1b AND either there is some cancer on the surface of at least one ovary

  OR cancer cells are found in fluid taken from inside your abdomen during surgery

  OR the ovary ruptures (bursts) before or during surgery

Stage 2 means the cancer has grown outside the ovary or ovaries, but it is also inside the lower tummy area (pelvis). Stage 2 cancer can be

• 2a = The cancer has spread into the fallopian tubes or the womb
• 2b = The cancer has grown into other tissues in the pelvis, for example the bladder or rectum

• 2c = 2a or 2b AND either there is some cancer on the surface of at least one ovary

  OR cancer cells are found in fluid taken from inside your abdomen during surgery

  OR the ovary ruptures (bursts) before or during surgery

Stage 3 cancer of the ovary means the cancer has spread outside the pelvis into the abdominal cavity. Your cancer is also stage 3 if cancer is found in the lymph nodes in the upper abdomen, groin or behind the womb. So stage 3 cancer can be

• 3a = Cancer can be seen under the microscope in tissue taken from the lining of the abdomen (peritoneum) or the omentum (a fatty layer over the top of the intestines)
• 3b = There are tumour growths 2cm or smaller on the lining of the abdomen
• 3c = There are tumour growths larger than 2cm on the lining of the abdomen; the lymph nodes in the upper abdomen, groin or behind the womb contain cancer

The cancer has spread into other body organs such as the liver or lungs. (If ovarian cancer is on the surface of the liver but not within the liver itself, then the cancer is regarded as stage 3.)