Cervical Cancer (cont.)
Staging
If the biopsy shows that you have cancer, your doctor needs to learn the
extent (stage) of the disease to help you choose the best treatment. Staging is
a careful attempt to find out whether the tumor has invaded nearby tissues,
whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to what parts of the body. Cervical
cancer spreads most often to nearby tissues in the pelvis, lymph nodes, or the
lungs. It may also spread to the liver or bones.
When cancer spreads from its original place to another part of the body, the
new tumor has the same kind of cancer cells and the same name as the original
tumor. For example, if cervical cancer spreads to the lungs, the cancer cells in
the lungs are actually cervical cancer cells. The disease is metastatic cervical
cancer, not lung cancer. For that reason, it's treated as cervical cancer, not
lung cancer. Doctors call the new tumor "distant" or metastatic disease.
Your doctor will do a pelvic exam, feel for swollen lymph nodes, and may
remove additional tissue. To learn the extent of disease, the doctor may order
some of the following tests:
- Chest x-rays: X-rays often can show whether cancer has spread to the lungs.
- CT scan: An x-ray machine linked to a computer takes a series of detailed
pictures of your organs. A tumor in the liver, lungs, or elsewhere in the body
can show up on the CT scan. You may receive contrast material by injection in
your arm or hand, by mouth, or by enema. The contrast material makes abnormal
areas easier to see.
- MRI: A powerful magnet linked to a computer is used to make detailed pictures
of your pelvis and abdomen. The doctor can view these pictures on a monitor and
can print them on film. An MRI can show whether cancer has spread. Sometimes
contrast material makes abnormal areas show up more clearly on the picture.
- PET scan: You receive an injection of a small amount of radioactive sugar. A
machine makes computerized pictures of the sugar being used by cells in your
body. Cancer cells use sugar faster than normal cells, and areas with cancer
look brighter on the pictures.
The stage is based on where cancer is found.
These are the stages of invasive cervical cancer:
- Stage I: The tumor has invaded the cervix beneath the top layer of cells.
Cancer cells are found only in the cervix.
- Stage II: The tumor extends to the upper part of the vagina. It may extend
beyond the cervix into nearby tissues toward the pelvic wall (the lining of the
part of the body between the hips). The tumor does not invade the lower third of
the vagina or the pelvic wall.
- Stage III: The tumor extends to the lower part of the vagina. It may also
have invaded the pelvic wall. If the tumor blocks the flow of urine, one or both
kidneys may not be working well.
- Stage IV: The tumor invades the bladder or rectum. Or the cancer has spread
to other parts of the body.
- Recurrent cancer: The cancer was treated, but has returned after a period of
time during which it could not be detected. The cancer may show up again in the
cervix or in other parts of the body.
Next: What is the treatment for
cervical cancer? »
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