What Are the Stages of Endometrial Cancer?
The stages of endometrial cancer are used to describe how far the cancer has spread in your body. The higher the stage number, the more widespread the cancer is. These stages are important when your doctor chooses the best treatments for you.
One way to describe the stages of endometrial cancer is with the TNM system. This system uses three different codes to describe the size and location of the tumor, whether it has spread to the lymph nodes around the tumor, and whether it can be found in other parts of the body.
In the TNM system, “T” plus a letter or number (0 to 4) is used to describe the size and location of the tumor. The tumor stages or endometrial cancer are:
TX - The primary, or original, tumor cannot be evaluated because of incomplete information.
T0 - There is no evidence of a primary tumor.
Tis - Carcinoma in situ (very early cancer that is found only in the layer of cells lining the uterus).
T1 - The tumor is found only in the body of the uterus (corpus uteri).
T1a - The tumor is found only in the inner layer of the uterus (endometrium).
T1b - The tumor has invaded less than halfway through the thick layer of muscle (myometrium). The myometrium is the middle layer of the uterus, that pushes the baby out during birth.
T1c - The tumor has invaded more than halfway through the myometrium.
T2 - The tumor has invaded the narrow, lower part of the uterus (cervix) that connects the uterus to the vagina but has not grown beyond the uterus.
T2a - The tumor has invaded glands (organs or groups of cells that produce hormones (chemical substances formed in one part of the body that affect another part of the body) or other substances used by other parts of the body) near the cervix.
T2b - The tumor has invaded the connective tissue of the endometrium (cervical stroma).
T3 - The tumor has spread beyond the uterus.
T3a - The tumor involves the layer of tissue (serosa) that covers parts of the large intestine and/or fallopian tubes and ovaries; and/or cancer cells are found in abnormal or excess fluid in the abdomen (ascites) or in the peritoneal cavity (the space within the abdomen that contains the stomach, the intestines, and the liver).
T3b - The tumor has spread to the vagina.
T4 - The tumor has spread to the lining of the bladder and/or bowel.
The "N" in the TNM system stands for node. Lymph nodes are tiny organs shaped like beans that can be found throughout the body. Lymph nodes help the body fight infection. Regional lymph nodes are near the uterus, while distant lymph nodes are in other parts of the body. Lymph node categories are:
NX - The regional lymph nodes cannot be evaluated because of incomplete information.
N0 - The cancer has not spread to the regional lymph nodes.
N1 - The cancer has spread to the regional lymph nodes.
The "M" in the TNM system indicates whether the cancer has spread, or metastasized, to other parts of the body. The categories for metastatic endometrial cancer are:
MX - Distant metastasis cannot be evaluated because of incomplete information.
M0 - The cancer has not metastasized to other parts of the body.
M1 - The cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Cancer Stages 0 to IV
After the T, N, and M categories of your cancer have been identified, your doctor will combine this information to assign a stage (I to IV) to your cancer. The higher the number, the more serious (advanced) the cancer is.
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Stage 0 (carcinoma in situ) - This very early cancer is found only in one layer of cells and has not spread (Tis, N0, M0).
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Stage I - The cancer is found only in the body of the uterus and has not spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body (T1, N0, M0).
- Stage IA - The cancer is found only in the endometrium (T1a, N0, M0).
- Stage IB - The cancer has spread less than halfway through the myometrium (T1b, N0, M0).
- Stage IC - The cancer has spread more than halfway through the myometrium (T1c, N0, M0).
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Stage II - The cancer has spread from the body of the uterus to the cervix but has not spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body (T2, N0, M0).
- Stage IIA - The cancer has spread to the glands where the cervix and uterus meet (T2a, N0, M0).
- Stage IIB - The cancer has spread to the connective tissue (supportive tissue) of the cervix (T2b, N0, M0).
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Stage III - The cancer has spread beyond the uterus, but it is still only in the pelvic area (T3, N0, M0).
- Stage IIIA - The cancer has spread to the serosa (tissue surrounding the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries); or cancer cells are found in the peritoneal fluid (T3a, N0, M0).
- Stage IIIB - The cancer has spread beyond the uterus and cervix to the vagina (T3b, N0, M0).
- Stage IIIC - The cancer has spread to lymph nodes near the uterus but not to distant parts of the body (T3c, N0, M0).
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Stage IV - The cancer has spread outside the pelvis (any T, any N, M1).
- Stage IVA - The cancer has spread to the lining of the rectum or bladder but it has not spread to distant organs. (T4, any N, M0).
- Stage IVB - The cancer has spread to other parts of the body beyond the pelvis, such as the lungs and bones, and it may have spread to lymph nodes in the abdomen and/or groin (any T, any N, M1).
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Recurrent - The cancer has come back (recurred) in the uterus or another part of the body after it was treated.
This content has been reviewed and approved by Myo Thant, MD.
This content was last modified on
August 03, 2007
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