When a patient is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it is common for them to wonder about their prognosis. Being aware of their prognosis can help them form an outlook towards their life. But, the prognosis will only be an overview or a guideline and the overall outlook of the patient will rely on a lot of factors including age, gender, and general health of the patient. To get an overview of ovarian cancer, it is important to understand the stages of the disease.
Through staging, both the patient and the doctor can know how much the cancer has spread and how aggressive it is. Determining the stage also helps the doctors to chalk out suitable treatment for the patient. To diagnose the stage of ovarian cancer, the FIGO system is used. This system mainly involves physical exams and some other tests. These help in determining the following:
Based on the results of the diagnostic tests, ovarian cancer is divided into four stages:
Stage 1
When ovarian cancer is at this stage, the cancerous cells have not moved out of the ovaries and its surrounding parts. At stage 1A, the cancer has only affected one ovary and at stage 1B, it has affected both the ovaries.
Stage 2
At this stage of this cancer, the cancerous cells have affected both the ovaries and spread to other places in the pelvis region. In stage 2A, the cancerous cells have spread to the fallopian tubes from ovaries, or to the uterus, or both. At stage 2B, the cancerous cells have moved to other organs including the rectum or the bladder.
Stage 3
This stage of ovarian cancer means that the cancer has affected both the ovaries, the abdominal lining, or has affected abdominal lymph nodes. At stage 3A, malignant cells are found in organs in the pelvis and have affected the lymph nodes found within the abdominal cavity. At stage 3B, the cells have spread to other organs present in the pelvis region. At stage 3C, malignant cells are detected in large deposits around the liver or it can also have affected nearby lymph nodes.
Stage 4
This is the final and most difficult stage to treat. At this stage, the cancerous cells have affected distant organs of the body. On stage 4A, the cancer cells have affected the fluid surrounding the lungs and at stage 4B these cells have reached the liver or spleen, and even far away lymph nodes. Other organs affected include the lungs, the brain, or the skin.
When the cancer is detected at early stages, it can result in a better outlook. At stage 1, there is a 5-year survival rate in 92 percent cases. However, only 15 percent of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed at stage 1.
This is an overview of ovarian cancer stages in brief. For a detailed diagnosis always consult your family physician.
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