How is vulvar cancer staged

It helps determine how serious the cancer is and how best to treat it. Doctors also use a cancer's stage when talking about survival statistics. Vulvar cancer stages range from stage I 1 through IV 4. As a rule, the lower the number, the less the cancer has spread.

A higher number, such as stage IV, means cancer has spread more. Numbers or letters after T, N, and M provide more details about each of these factors. Higher numbers mean the cancer is more advanced. The staging system in the table below uses the pathologic stage also called the surgical stage. The cancer cells have spread to nearby lymph nodes and have begun to grow outside of the covering layer of at least one lymph node.

Either cancer cells have spread to nearby lymph nodes and have caused them to become attached to nearby tissues or to develop open sores, or cancer cells have spread further to organs in the pelvis, such as the bladder, rectum, pelvic bone or upper part of the urethra.

However, cancer cells have not yet reached distant organs. Stage 4B: Cancers at this stage are the most advanced. Cancer cells have reached distant organs or lymph nodes farther from the pelvis. Donate to Gateway for Cancer Research Make a difference in the fight against cancer by donating to cancer research. Donate now. Gateway for Cancer Research is a c 3 non-profit organization. Tax-ID: Pecorelli S International journal of gynecology and obstetrics revised FIGO staging for carcinoma of the vulva, cervix, and endometrium.

Int J Gynecol Obs — Cancer — Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol — Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. Microsurgery — Cancer Manag Res — Obstet Gynecol — Download references. The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article. The authors state that this work has not received any funding. No complex statistical methods were necessary for this paper. Institutional Review Board approval was not required because this manuscript presents guidelines only and has not required the use of patient-sensitive data.

Some study subjects or cohorts have not been previously reported. Methodology: Guidelines based on expert opinion and literature review. Lima Basto, , Lisbon, Portugal. Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. All eight authors have read and approved the manuscript. FAS involved in partial writing of the manuscript, language and grammar editing, collection of cases and preparation of figures, preparation of tables, review concept, and design.

TMC involved in partial writing of the manuscript, collection of cases, and supervision of work. MBN involved in partial writing of the manuscript. MMOG involved in partial writing of the manuscript. BG involved in partial writing of the manuscript. SN involved in partial writing of the manuscript, collection of cases, and preparation of figures. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Correspondence to Filipa Alves e Sousa.

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Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Skip to main content. Search all SpringerOpen articles Search. Download PDF. Methods The guidelines recommended from the ESUR in this article resulted from a questionnaire analysis regarding imaging staging of vulvar cancer that was answered by all members of the Female Pelvic Imaging Working Group. Results The critical review of the literature and consensus obtained among experts allows for recommendations regarding imaging staging guidelines, patient preparation, MRI protocol, and a structured MRI report.

Conclusions Standardising image acquisition techniques and MRI interpretation reduces ambiguity and ultimately improves the contribution of radiology to the staging and management of patients with vulvar cancer. Key points MRI is the modality of choice for local staging of vulvar cancer. The most specific criterion for inguinofemoral lymphadenopathy is the presence of necrosis. Material and methods Questionnaire and consensus meeting A Questionnaire consisting of 54 questions was designed by the authors and then sent out to the Female Pelvic Imaging Working Group for approval.

Role of imaging in staging vulvar cancer Primary tumour staging Due to its excellent contrast resolution and the ability to depict perineal and vulvar anatomy to great detail illustrated in Fig. Full size image. Table 1 The accuracy of imaging techniques in determining inguinofemoral lymph node metastases confirmed by histological examination Full size table.

Availability of data and materials Not applicable. References 1. The 2 systems are much the same. They both use the TNM system. Here's what these letters stand for:. T tells how big the main tumor is and how deep it has spread into the vulva and nearby tissues or organs.

N tells if the lymph nodes in near the original tumor have cancer in them. M tells if the cancer has spread metastasized to distant parts of the body, such as the lungs, bones, or lymph nodes not near the vulva. Numbers or letters after T, N, and M provide more details about each of these factors. There are also 2 other values that can be assigned:. X means the provider doesn't have enough information to tell the extent of the main tumor TX , or if the lymph nodes have cancer cells in them NX.

Stage groupings are based on the T, N, and M values. These groupings give an overall description of your cancer. The higher the number, the more advanced the cancer is. Invasive vulvar cancer is staged as follows. Vulvar melanoma stages are different and not covered here. Stage I. Cancer is found in the vulva or the space between the opening of the rectum and the vagina perineum or both. It has not spread to nearby lymph nodes or other parts of the body.