Staging and grading of womb cancer

The stage of the womb cancer describes:

• how far the cancer has grown
• if it has spread from where it started.

Knowing the stage of the cancer is important. It helps you and your doctor make decisions about your treatment.

The exact stage of the cancer is usually confirmed after surgery (if you have this). We have more information about surgery.

Womb cancer is divided into 4 main stages.

The cancer is contained in the womb. About 3 out of 4 womb cancers (75%) are diagnosed at stage 1.

Stage 1 can be divided into:

• stage 1A – the cancer is only in the lining of the womb, or has grown less than halfway into the muscle
• stage 1B – the cancer has grown halfway or more into the muscle wall.

The cancer has spread to the cervix (the neck of the womb).

The cancer has spread outside the womb but has not spread beyond the pelvis.

Stage 3 can be divided into:

• stage 3A – the cancer has spread to the outer surface of the womb or the ovaries and fallopian tubes, or both
• stage 3B – the cancer has spread into the vagina or into the tissues around the womb (parametrium), or both
• stage 3C – the cancer has spread to pelvic lymph nodes, or to lymph nodes in the tummy (abdomen).

The cancer has spread to other organs in the body. Stage 4 can be divided into:

• stage 4A – the cancer has spread into the bowel or bladder
• stage 4B – the cancer has spread to other organs such as the lungs, liver or bones.

Your doctor or nurse may use some of the following terms to describe the cancer:

• early-stage womb cancer – this usually means stage 1 and stage 2 womb cancers
• locally advanced womb cancer – this usually means stage 3 and stage 4A womb cancers
• advanced, metastatic or secondary womb cancer – this usually means stage 4B womb cancer
• recurrent cancer – this means a cancer that has come back after treatment (it is not usually given a stage).

We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.

We want our information to be as clear as possible. To do this, we try to:

• use plain English
• explain medical words
• use short sentences
• use illustrations to explain text
• structure the information clearly
• make sure important points are clear.

We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.

You can read more about how we produce our information here.