Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors Treatment (PDQ®): Treatment - Patient Information [NCI]-Stages of Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors

Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors Treatment (PDQ®): Treatment - Patient Information [NCI] - Stages of Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors

Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors Treatment (PDQ®): Treatment - Patient Information [NCI] Guide

• General Information About Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors
• Stages of Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors
• Recurrent Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors
• Treatment Option Overview
• Treatment Options By Stage
• Treatment Options for Recurrent Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors
• To Learn More About Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors
• Changes to This Summary (08 / 25 / 2014)
• About This PDQ Summary
• Get More Information From NCI

There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.

Cancer can spread through tissue, the lymph system, and the blood:

• Tissue. The cancer spreads from where it began by growing into nearby areas.
• Lymph system. The cancer spreads from where it began by getting into the lymph system. The cancer travels through the lymph vessels to other parts of the body.
• Blood. The cancer spreads from where it began by getting into the blood. The cancer travels through the blood vessels to other parts of the body.

Cancer may spread from where it began to other parts of the body.

When cancer spreads to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. Cancer cells break away from where they began (the primary tumor) and travel through the lymph system or blood.

• Lymph system. The cancer gets into the lymph system, travels through the lymph vessels, and forms a tumor (metastatic tumor) in another part of the body.
• Blood. The cancer gets into the blood, travels through the blood vessels, and forms a tumor (metastatic tumor) in another part of the body.

The metastatic tumor is the same type of tumor as the primary tumor. For example, if an ovarian germ cell tumor spreads to the liver, the tumor cells in the liver are actually cancerous ovarian germ cells. The disease is metastatic ovarian germ cell tumor, not liver cancer.

The following stages are used for ovarian germ cell tumors:

Stage I

Ovarian cancer stage IA, IB, and IC. In stage IA, cancer is found inside a single ovary. In stage IB, cancer is found inside both ovaries. In stage IC, cancer is found in one or both ovaries and one of the following is true: (a) cancer is found on the outside surface of one or both ovaries, (b) the capsule (outer covering) of the ovary has broken open, or (c) cancer cells are found floating in the peritoneal fluid surrounding abdominal organs or in washings of the peritoneum.

In stage I, cancer is found in one or both ovaries. Stage I is divided into stage IA, stage IB, and stage IC.

• Stage IA: Cancer is found inside a single ovary.
• Stage IB: Cancer is found inside both ovaries.
• Stage IC: Cancer is found inside one or both ovaries and one of the following is true:
  • cancer is also found on the outside surface of one or both ovaries; or
  • the capsule (outer covering) of the ovary has ruptured (broken open); or
  • cancer cells are found in the fluid of the peritoneal cavity (the body cavity that contains most of the organs in the abdomen) or in washings of the peritoneum (tissue lining the peritoneal cavity).