More than 3,500 American women will die this year from cervical cancer, according to an estimate by the American Cancer Society. Three times that many will be diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer, and many more will be diagnosed with non-invasive cervical cancer.
A huge number of lives are touched by this disease, and chances are good that you or someone you know has been, or will be, diagnosed with cervical cancer. I have lost two aunts to this form of cancer, both of whom were not diagnosed until their cancer had already reached an advanced stage.
Staging is a system used by medical professionals to assess the location and size of a cancer. Staging is an important factor when determining treatment options and prognosis. The system used to stage cervical cancer is known as the FIGO system, and it assigns a numerical value from zero to four to a cancer based on physical exam and diagnostic test results. Staging is used primarily as a guide to summarize how advanced the cancer is, how deeply the cancer has invaded the tissues of the cervix, and whether or not other organs are involved.
According to the American Cancer Society, the staging of cervical cancer is as follows:
Stage 0:
Stage 0 cervical cancer is also known as carcinoma in situ. Cancers of this stage have not spread from where they originated, and they have not begun to spread into deeper tissues of the cervix.
Treatment of this stage of cervical cancer is generally the same as that for precancerous conditions, and may include cauterization, cryosurgery, laser surgery, or cone biopsy. A hysterectomy may be considered for women who are done having children.
Stage 1:
Stage 1 cervical cancer has spread deeper into the connective tissues of the cervix. Stage 1 is divided into subsections as follows:
Stage 1A: This is the early form of stage 1 cervical cancer. The cancer is very small and can only be seen through a microscope.
— Stage 1A1: The cancer has grown less than 7 mm wide and less than 3 mm deep into the cervical tissue.
— Stage 1A2: The cancer has grown less than 7 mm wide and between 3 mm and 5 mm deep.
Stage 1B: In this stage, the cancerous area is larger and can be seen without a microscope. The cancer is still contained within the cervical tissue and has not yet spread.
— Stage 1B1: The cancer is no larger than 4 cm, and is visible without the use of a microscope.
— Stage 1B2: The cancer has grown larger than 4 cm, and is visible without the use of a microscope.
Stage 2:
Stage 2 cervical cancer has started to invade areas near to the cervix, but is still contained inside the pelvic region.
Stage 2A: The cancer has spread into the tissues of the lower third of the vagina, but has not yet reached the wall of the pelvis.
Stage 2B: The cancer has spread into the parametrial tissue, the tissue next to the cervix.
Stage 3:
In stage 3 cervical cancer, cancerous cells have spread to the lower part of the vagina or invaded the wall of the pelvis. The cancer may be blocking the flow of urine from the kidneys into the bladder.
Stage 3A: The cancer has spread to the lower third of the vagina, but has not yet reached the walls of the pelvis.
Stage 3B: The cancer has reached the pelvic wall, and may be blocking the flow of urine to the bladder.
Stage 4:
Stage 4 cervical cancer is advanced and has spread to organs outside of the pelvic region.
Stage 4A: The cancer has spread to organs near to the cervix, such as the bladder or rectum.
Stage 4B: The cancer has invaded distant organs, such as the lungs. This stage of cervical cancer is not considered curable. Treatment of this advanced cancer is aimed at providing relief from pain and extending survival time.
Treatment of cervical cancer is much more successful if it is caught early. Early detection is best accomplished through regular Pap smears and cervical examinations. Pap tests can discover changes in the cells of the cervix before cancer develops.
