Spread of Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer cells have the potentials to breaks from their original (primary) tumour and travel either via lymph or blood system to other areas in the body, and another tumour called secondary tumour may be form, which is the same type of cancer as the primary tumour. This process is called metastasis.
When ovarian cancer has been confirmed, it is very vital to find out if the cancer cells have spread within the ovaries or to other part of the body. A process called staging is used, and the stage of the cancer can be determine according to the extends of the spreading of the cancer cells. Knowing the stage of the cancer cells is very essential in the treatment of the disease. The following stages are used for ovarian cancer;
Stage I: Cancer is limited to one or both ovaries. Stage I is further divided in to stage IA, stage IB and stage IC.
When ovarian cancer has been confirmed, it is very vital to find out if the cancer cells have spread within the ovaries or to other part of the body. A process called staging is used, and the stage of the cancer can be determine according to the extends of the spreading of the cancer cells. Knowing the stage of the cancer cells is very essential in the treatment of the disease. The following stages are used for ovarian cancer;
Stage I: Cancer is limited to one or both ovaries. Stage I is further divided in to stage IA, stage IB and stage IC.
- Stage IA: Cancer is limited to the inside of a single ovary (fig. 10 A)
- Stage IB: Cancer is limited to the inside of both the ovaries (fig. 10 B)
- Stage IC: Cancer is found inside both ovaries, and malignant cells have appeared on the outer surface of one or both ovaries, or at least one of the tumours has ruptured (Broken open) or there are ascites (fluid within the peritoneal cavity) (fig. 10 C)
Stage II: Cancer is found in one or both ovaries and it has spread to other pelvic structures. Stage II is further divide in to stage IIA, stage IIB and stage IIC.
- Stage IIA: The cancer has spread to uterus, the fallopian tubes, or both (fig. 11 A)
- Stage IIB: The cancer has spread to bladder or rectum (fig. 11 B)
- Stage IIC: The cancer has spread to the uterus, fallopian tube or other tissue within the pelvis, or one tumour has ruptured or there are ascites containing malignant cells (fig. 11 C)
Stage III: Cancer is found in one or both ovaries, and has spread beyond the pelvis to other parts of the abdomen. Stage III is also further divided in to stage IIIA, stage IIB and stage IIIC
- Stage IIIA: The tumour is found in pelvis area only, but the cancer cells has spread to the surface of the peritoneum but has not spread to the lymph nodes (fig. 12).
- Stage IIIB: The cancer has spread to the peritoneum and is 2 cm or less in diameter but the cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes (fig. 13).
- Stage IIIC: The cancer has spread to the peritoneum and its size is greater than 2 cm in diameter. Also the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes (fig.14)
Stage IV: The cancer is found in one or both ovaries, spread beyond the pelvis and abdomen to other organs of the body like lungs, liver, lymph nodes or bones (fig. 15)
Note: Spreading of cancer to liver is consider as stage IV
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(Copyright © 2011 by U. Bala)
(Copyright © 2011 by U. Bala)