Staging describes the size of the cancer and how far it has spread. Knowing the stage helps your health care team recommend the best treatment for you.
Stages of cervical cancer
| stage 1 | early or localised cancer | Cancer is found only in the cervix. |
| stage 2 | locally advanced cancer | Cancer has spread outside the cervix to the upper two-thirds of the vagina or other tissue next to the cervix. |
| stage 3 | locally advanced cancer | Cancer has spread to the lower third of the vagina and/or the tissue on the side of the pelvis (pelvic wall). The cancer may also have spread to lymph nodes in the pelvis or abdomen, or caused a kidney to stop working. |
| stage 4 | metastatic or advanced cancer | Cancer has spread to the bladder or rectum (stage 4A) or beyond the pelvis to the lungs, liver or bones (stage 4B). |
Clinical practice guidelines set out the tests and treatment recommended at each stage of cervical cancer. You can ask your doctors what guidelines they are using.
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Dr Antonia Jones, Gynaecological Oncologist, Royal Women’s Hospital and Mercy Hospital for Women, Melbourne, VIC; Angelyn Aligarbes, Consumer; A/Prof Emma Allanson, Gynaecological Oncologist and Head of Dept, Gynaecologic Oncology, King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, WA; Gemma Busuttil, Radiation Therapist Specialist, Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre, Westmead Hospital, NSW; Laura Carman, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council VIC; Danielle Carpenter, Gynaecology Nurse Consultant, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; A/Prof Pearly Khaw, Lead Radiation Oncologist – Gynae-Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Georgina Richter, Gynae-Oncology Clinical Nurse Consultant, Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA; A/Prof Megan Smith, Research Fellow, Cancer Elimination Collaboration, University of Sydney, NSW; Sophia Wooldridge, Senior Clinical Psychologist, Hunter New England Centre for Gynaecological Cancer, John Hunter Hospital, NSW; Melissa Whalen, Consumer.
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