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Ovarian cancer staging system

If ovarian cancer is suspected in a woman, she will be asked to undergo an exploratory laparotomy to determine the stage of the cancer. An exploratory laparotomy, is usually performed by a gynecological oncologist by making an incision through the abdomen to the ovaries. A biopsy sample of pelvic and abdominal lymph nodes may also be collected for microscopic evaluation. The abdominal cavity may also be washed with fluid that is then collected and examine for cancer cells.

The histopathology results from examining the collected samples will be reviewed by the doctor to determine the stage of the cancer. Staging provides an estimate of disease-free survival, overall survival, and the risk for recurrence or relapse. It will also help to select the best treatment procedure(s) for the patient.

There are four stages of ovarian cancer:

Stage I: The cancer cells restrict to one or both ovaries

Stage II: The cancer has spread to pelvic organs such as uterus, fallopian tubes. But it has not yet spread to abdominal organs.

Stage III:  At this stage, the cancer has spread to abdominal organs such as abdominal lymph nodes, liver, bowel, etc.

Stage IV: The cancer has spread to other parts of the body that are far away from the ovaries (i.e. lungs, brain, lymph nodes in the neck, etc).

Recurrent Stage: The ovarian cancer has come back after the patient has completed treatments.

Usually, the classification of the ovarian cancer does not change once it has classified a stage, even if the cancer recurs after treatments or has spread to other parts of the body.

The treatment(s) of ovarian cancer depends mostly on the staging. Therefore, the lower the stage is, the more favorable is the prognosis.