Doctors use four stages when it comes to grading cancer, known as the FIGO system after its authors - the International Federation of Gynaecological Oncologists.
Stage 1
Stage 1 ovarian cancer means that the cancer is only within the ovary (or ovaries).
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Stage 1A: the cancer is completely inside one ovary
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Stage 1B: the cancer is completely inside both ovaries
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Stage 1C: The cancer is present in one or both ovaries, as well on the surface of the ovary or in fluid taken from inside your abdomen during surgery or the ovary bursts before or during surgery
Stage 2
Stage 2 ovarian cancer means that the cancer is in one or both ovaries / fallopian tubes and has spread to other organs with the pelvis
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Stage 2A: the cancer that began in the ovaries has spread to the uterus, or the fallopian tubes, or both
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Stage 2B: the cancer that began in the ovaries has spread to other tissues in the pelvis, such as the bladder the rectum, or the sigmoid colon
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Stage 2C: the ovarian cancer that began in the ovaries has spread to other tissues in the pelvis and there are cancer cells in fluid taken from inside your abdomen
Stage 3
Stage 3 ovarian cancer means that the cancer is in one or both ovaries or fallopian tubes, as well as spread beyond the pelvis to the lining of the abdomen and / or spread to the retroperitoneal lymph nodes in the upper abdomen, groin, or behind the womb.
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Stage 3A: the cancer that began in the ovaries is mostly contained to the pelvic area, but, using a microscope, cancer growths can be seen in tissue lining the abdomen
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Stage 3B: the cancer that began in the ovaries is mostly contained to the pelvic area, but there are also visible tumour growths on the lining of the abdomen that are 2cm across or smaller
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Stage 3C: the cancer that began in the ovaries is mostly contained to the pelvic area, but there are also tumour growths larger than 2cm on the lining of the abdomen, or cancer in lymph nodes in the upper abdomen, groin or behind the womb, or both
Stage 4
Stage 4 ovarian cancer means that the cancer is in one or both ovaries / fallopian tubes and has spread to other body organs some distance from the ovaries, such as the lungs, spleen, liver, brain, skin, or lymph nodes besides the retroperitoneal lymph nodes.
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