The 4 Stages of Uterine Cancer—and What Each One Means
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Cancer of the uterus or endometrium is cancer that occurs in the uterus or endometrial lining of the uterus. The risk of uterine cancer increases with age, most cases occurring after menopause. People with diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure are also more at risk.
The global cancer statistics report has revealed that uterine cancer is the sixth most widespread cancer in people assigned to birth. Uterine cancer has also increased the impact by 132% in the past 30 years. This is probably due to an increase in obesity rates and an aging population.
If you have received a diagnosis of uterine cancer, it is useful to know the stages of this cancer and what each step means.
Illustration by Joules Garcia for Health
The staging of cancer is a way to communicate the size of your tumor or your tumors, where they are and if they have spread. Knowing the stage of your cancer can give you an overview of the severity of your cancer diagnosis and your prognosis. It also allows your health care provider to formulate a treatment plan.
When staging cancer, healthcare providers use two systems for staging uterine cancer. These include the Figo system (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) and the American Joint Committee on Cancer TNM Staging System. They stage or classify cancer after having considered three factors. These include:
- Tumor
- Lymph nodes (n): They also consider whether cancer has spread to the northern lymph nodes, including those in the basin and those around the aorta (the primary artery flowing from your heart and in the back of your basin and your abdomen).
- Metastases (m): They seek to see if cancer has spread to distant sites in the body, such as lymph nodes or organs in other parts of the body.
Once your T, N and M categories are determined, this information is used to stage your cancer. If your stavification is based on tumor exam after your surgery, this is called surgical staging. If surgery is not possible, your staging is called clinical staging.
If you have uterine cancer of stage 1, your symptoms probably include abnormal vaginal bleeding, such as normal periods, bleeding pierced between periods or bleeding after menopause.
Treatment of this cancer stage sometimes includes surgery such as hysterectomy, radiotherapy or clinical trials. If you plan to have children later, your healthcare provider may recommend hormone therapy as a progestin therapy. Additional letters after that of stadium cancer 1 provide more information on the type of cancer growth you experience.
1a1
With this cancer stage, your tumor is limited to the endometrium (the inner mucosa of your uterus).
1a2
If your health professional communicates this step, the tumor is a non -aggressive histological type. Its growth is less than half of the myometer (the underlying muscle layer of the uterus).
1a3
With this stage of cancer, your tumor is a non -aggressive histological type limited to the uterus and the ovary. He did not spread to any lymph node nearby or to parts far from the body.
1b
If you have this cancer step, you have non-aggressive histological types with growth more than halfway through the myometer. He did not go beyond the uterus. Cancer has not spread either to the lymph nodes nearby or to parts distant from the body.
With this stage of cancer, the disease has spread to the cervix but is not outside your uterus. There is also no cancer in the nearby lymph nodes or parts distant from the body. Like stadium 1, you can feel bleeding, spots or abnormal bleeding during menopause.
Treatment options are also similar to stage 1 and may include hysterectomy, radiotherapy or clinical trials.
At this point, your cancer has spread to ovaries, fallated tubes, vagina or lymph nodes. Your bladder or the inner lining of the rectum are not yet affected.
Like steps 1 and 2, you can undergo abnormal bleeding. However, you can also feel pain and pressure in the abdomen. Bloating, discomfort during sex, feeling of rhythm after eating or changes in bathroom habits are also possible.
At this stage, typical treatment options include hysterectomy, pelvic washing, chemotherapy or radiation. The additional letters after the three of step 3 provide more information on the type of cancer growth you experience.
3a
With this stage of cancer, the disease has spread to the outer surface of your uterus. It can also be in the tubes or ovaries of a nearby fallopian. Your cancer is not in the lymph nodes nearby and has not spread to parts far from your body.
3B1
If your health professional says that you are at this stage, this means that your cancer has spread to the vagina or the parameter (the tissues around the uterus). Cancer is not in neighboring lymph nodes or parts distant from the body.
3B2
With this stage of cancer, the disease has spread to the peritoneum, which is a sheet of smooth fabric that lines the abdomen and the pelvis. He did not spread to the parts far from the body, and it is not in the nearby lymph nodes.
3C1
If you are at this stage, cancer has spread to pelvic lymph nodes. But it is not in the lymph nodes around the aorta or the distant parts of your body.
3C2
With this stage of cancer, the disease has spread to lymph nodes around the aorta (para-aortic lymph nodes). It is not in the distant parts of your body.
If you have stage 4 uterine cancer, the disease has spread to sites far from your body beyond the basin like your bones, your liver or your lungs. It may also be in your lymph nodes. The symptoms of this step are similar to the other stages. However, you can also feel symptoms related to the location of cancer, such as the difficulty of breathing if the cancer is in your lungs.
As for treatment, cancer can be too advanced for surgery. But you can always qualify for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy.
4a
If your cancer is at this stage, it has probably spread to the bladder or rectum. Or may not spread to the lymph nodes nearby but has not spread to remote sites.
4b
When a health professional has communicated this cancer stage, he has spread to your abdominal peritoneum. At this stage, your cancer can be of any size and it may or may not spread to your lymph nodes.
4C
If you have this cancer stage, it has probably spread to parts distant from your body, such as your lungs, your bones, your liver or your brain. You can also be assigned this stadium of cancer if it has spread to the lymph nodes outside the abdomen or the lymph nodes above the kidneys.
The prognosis of uterine cancer – or the probable result or the survival rate of the disease – is not an exact science, but it can allow people to prepare for the potential result of their treatment. Prognosis or survival rates indicate which percentage of people live for a certain period after discovering that they had cancer.
Usually these figures refer to the five -year survival rate. In other words, they have let you know how many people live five years after their diagnosis. Keep in mind that these figures are not exact and can be influenced by your age, your health and how your cancer reacts to treatment.
Your underlying health problems can also influence your prognosis. Conditions such as diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure could potentially worsen your prognosis.
Here are the five -year survival rates for uterine cancer:
- Localized cancer or steps 1 and 2: With this step, cancer has not spread beyond the uterus and the five-year survival rate is 95%.
- Regional cancer or stadium 3: With this stage, cancer has spread to lymph nodes or nearby tissues like the basin, and the five -year survival rate is 70%.
- Remote cancer or stage 4: With this step, cancer has spread to distant areas such as lungs or liver, and the five -year survival rate is 19%.
Uterine cancer occurs in your uterus or in the endometrial lining and is very likely to occur after menopause. Health care providers use staging to communicate the severity of your cancer and how much it has spread in your body.
The anterior stages of the uterus cancer indicate that cancer has remained local to the uterus, while the subsequent cancer stages indicate that cancer has spread outside the uterus. The previous stages of cancer tend to have a better prognosis.
Knowing your cancer stage gives you an overview while helping your health care provider to formulate a treatment plan. If you do not understand what your staging means, ask your health care provider to explain more.
