The stages of pancreatic cancer
This page is about the stages of pancreatic cancer. There is information about
The stages of pancreatic cancer
The stage of a cancer tells the doctor how far it has spread. It is important because treatment is often decided according to the stage of a cancer.
TNM stages of pancreatic cancer
TNM stands for ‘tumour, node, metastasis’. This system can describe the size of a primary tumour (T), whether there are lymph nodes with cancer cells in them (N) and if the cancer has spread to a different body parts (M).
- T stages - There are 5 stages of tumour size in pancreatic cancer. T is (carcinoma in situ) is the smallest and T4 is the largest.
- N stages - There are 2 main N stages. They indicate if the pancreatic cancer has spread to the lymph nodes (N1) or not (N0).
- M stages - There are 2 M stages to indicate if the cancer has spread to distant body parts, like the liver or lungs (M1), or not (M0).
Number stages of cancer of the pancreas
Once the TNM categories have been decided, this information is grouped together to give the stage a number from 1 to 4. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 is the most advanced stage of pancreatic cancer.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the Treating pancreatic cancer section.
The stage of a cancer tells the doctor how far it has spread. The tests and scans you have when diagnosing your cancer give some information about the stage. It is important because treatment is often decided according to the stage of a cancer. Your doctor may not be able to tell you the exact stage of your cancer until after your surgery. There are different ways of staging cancers. The two main ways are the TNM system and number systems. There is more about staging cancers in the about cancer section.
'TNM' stands for Tumour, Node, Metastasis. This system can describe the size of a primary tumour, whether there are lymph nodes with cancer cells in them and whether the cancer has spread to a different part of the body. There are 5 stages of tumour size in the current TNM classification
- Tis (carcinoma in situ) is very early stage pancreatic cancer, which has not had a chance to spread. This is not at all common with this type of cancer.
- T1 means the size of the tumour in the pancreas is 2cm or less in any direction
- T2 means the tumour is more than 2cm across in any direction
- T3 means the cancer has started to grow into surrounding tissues around the pancreas, in the duodenum or the bile duct
- T4 means the cancer has grown further into the stomach, spleen, large bowel or nearby large blood vessels
N0 means there are no lymph nodes containing cancer. N1 means there are lymph nodes which contain cancer cells and so the cancer is more likely to have spread further than the pancreas itself. N1 is divided into
- pN1a - there is cancer in a single nearby lymph node
- pN1b - there is cancer in more than one lymph node
M0 means the cancer has not spread into distant organs such as the liver or lungs. M1 means the cancer has spread to other organs.
There are four stages in this system - stage 1 to 4.
Stage 1
This is the earliest stage of cancer. The cancer is completely inside the pancreas itself. In the TNM staging system, stage 1 cancers can be bigger or smaller than 2cm, but there is no cancer in the lymph nodes or cancer spread. In TNM staging, this is equivalent to T1 or 2; N0; M0.
Stage 2A
The cancer has started to grow into nearby tissues around the pancreas. It may be in the duodenum or the bile duct. But there is no cancer inside the nearby lymph nodes. This means that, although the cancer has been growing locally, there is a chance that it may not have spread through the blood or lymph systems. In TNM staging, this is equivalent to T3; N0; M0.
Stage 2B
The cancer itself can be any size and may have grown into the tissues surrounding the pancreas. Cancer is also found in the nearby lymph nodes. So it may have spread into other body organs through the lymph system. In TNM staging, this is equivalent to T1, 2 or 3; N1; M0.
Stage 3
The cancer is growing outside the pancreas into nearby organs such as the stomach, spleen, large bowel, and to nearby large blood vessels or major nerves. It may or may not have spread into nearby lymph nodes. It may have spread to other body organs. In TNM staging, this is equivalent to T4; Any N; M0.
Stage 4
The cancer has spread to distant site such as the liver or lungs. Your doctor may call this advanced cancer. In TNM staging, this is equivalent to Any T; Any N; M1.
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