Vaginal Cancer

Stages

An important prognostic predictor for any type of cancer is the clinicopathologic stage. A clinicopathologic stage describes the cancer developmental phase, and is established according to several criteria: (1) the tumor type and size, (2) the cancer location, and (3) the cancer extent (how far the cancer has spread within the body).

The staging system used to describe the cancer developmental phase is the FIGO System of Staging (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) in combination with the American Joint Committee on Cancer TNM system.

According to these two staging systems, vaginal cancer is classified in five stages (Stage 0 to Stage IV) depending on the: (T) tumor features -size and invasion level, (N) lymph nodes involved - lymph nodes are part of the body immune system, and (M) cancer metastasis - metastasis stage is the last developmental cancer stage when the cancer has spread to distal organs (organs situated far from the origin point).

Stage 0: Carcinoa in situ or vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia 3 (Tis, N0, M0)
In this stage, the cancer is confined to the epithelium (the first, thin layer of cells that lines the vaginal walls).

Stage I: (T1, N0, M0)
In this stage, the cancer has spread to the layers beneath the epithelium, but it is still confined to the vagina mucosa. - Same as FIGO stage I.

Stage II: (T2, N0, M0)
In this stage, the cancer has spread to the connective layer of the vaginal walls, but it did not invaded the pelvic walls. - Same as FIGO stage II.

Stage III: (T1,2, N1, M0 or T3, N0,1, M0)
In this stage, the cancer has spread to the pelvic walls and/or to the lymph nodes. - The FIGO system does not take in consideration the lymph nodes, and mentions only the pelvic walls being affected by cancer).

Stage IV: This stage is divided into two substages:

Stage IVA: (T4, Any N, M0)
In this stage, the cancer has spread to the organs within the pelvic area, such as bladder or rectum, and it may or may not invaded the lymph nodes. - Same as FIGO stage IV.

Stage IVB: (Any T, Any N, M1)
In this stage, the cancer has spread to distant organs within the body (such as lungs).

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Article by Alina Morrow, MS
Medical Writer
OmniMedicalSearch.com

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