Pathology Outlines - Staging - uterine carcinoma

Uterus
Miscellaneous
Staging - uterine carcinoma

Author: Nat Pernick, M.D.

Topic Completed: 1 September 2011

Revised: 25 February 2019

Copyright: 2002-2017, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.

PubMed search: staging [title] uterine carcinoma

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Table of Contents

Cite this page: Pernick N. Staging - uterine carcinoma. PathologyOutlines.com website. http://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/uterusstaging.html. Accessed March 22nd, 2019.

Definition / general

Use clinical staging only if the surgeon feels systemic regional lymph node sampling is not indicated or if the patient was treated with primary radiation therapy (record as cT, cN, cM)
Otherwise use surgical / pathologic staging, assigned at the time of definitive surgical treatment or prior to radiation therapy or chemotherapy
Stage should not be changed due to disease progression or recurrence or based on response to initial radiation therapy or chemotherapy that precedes primary tumor resection

Uterine carcinoma TNM staging

Based on AJCC Cancer Staging Manual (7th ed)

Primary tumor (T) and FIGO stage:

TX: primary tumor cannot be assessed
T0: no evidence of primary tumor
Tis: carcinoma in situ (preinvasive carcinoma)
T1 (I): tumor confined to corpus uteri
T1a (IA): tumor limited to endometrium or invades less than 1/2 of the myometrium
T1b (IB): tumor invades 1/2 or more of the myometrium
T2 (II): tumor invades stromal connnective tissue of the cervix but does not extend beyond uterus
T3a (IIIA): tumor involves serosa or adnexa (direct extension or metastasis)
T3b (IIIB): vaginal involvement (direct extension or metastasis) or parametrial involvement
T4 (IVA): tumor invades bladder mucosa or bowel mucosa (bullous edema is not sufficient to classify a tumor as T4)

Notes:

Endocervical glandular involvement only should be considered as Stage I and not Stage II
FIGO no longer includes Tis

Regional lymph nodes (N) and FIGO stage:

NX: regional lymph nodes cannot be assessed
N0: no regional lymph node metastasis
N1 (IIIC1): regional lymph node metastasis to pelvic lymph nodes
N2 (IIIC2): regional lymph node metastasis to para-aortic lymph nodes, with or without positive pelvic lymph nodes

Distant Metastasis (M) and FIGO stage:

M0: no distant metastasis
M1 (IVB): distant metastasis (includes metastasis to inguinal lymph nodes, intraperitoneal disease or lung, liver or bone; it excludes metastasis to para-aortic lymph nodes, vagina, pelvic serosa or adnexa)

Stage grouping and FIGO stage:

Stage 0: T1s N0 M0
Stage I: T1 N0 M0
Stage IA: T1a N0 M0
Stage IB: T1b N0 M0
Stage II: T2 N0 M0
Stage III: T3 N0 M0
Stage IIIA: T3a N0 M0
Stage IIIB: T3b N0 M0
Stage IIIC1: T1-3 N1 M0
Stage IIIC2: T1-3 N2 M0
Stage IVA: T4 any N M0
Stage IVB: any T any N M1

Notes:

FIGO no longer includes Stage 0 (Tis)

Histopathology - Degree of differentiation:

G1: 5% or less of a nonsquamous or nonmorular solid growth pattern
G2: 6% - 50% of a nonsquamous or nonmorular solid growth pattern
G3: more than 50% of a nonsquamous or nonmorular solid growth pattern

Notes on pathologic grading:

Notable nuclear atypia, inappropriate for the architectural grade, raises the grade to 3
Serous, clear cell and mixed mesodermal tumors are high risk and considered grade 3
Adenocarcinomas with benign squamous elements (squamous metaplasia) are graded according to the nuclear grade of the glandular component

Uterine Leiomyosarcoma and Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma

Primary tumor (T) and FIGO stage:

TX: primary tumor cannot be assessed
T0: no evidence of primary tumor
T1 (I): tumor confined to the uterus
T1a (IA): tumor 5 cm or less in greatest dimension
T1b (IB): tumor more than 5 cm
T2 (II): tumor extends beyond the uterus, within the pelvis
T2a (IIA): tumor involves adnexa
T2b (IIB): tumor involves other pelvic tissues
T3 (III): tumor infiltrates abdominal tissues (lesions must not just protrude into abdominal cavity)
T3a (IIIA): tumor infiltrates abdominal tissues - one site
T3b (IIIB): tumor infiltrates abdominal tissues - more than one site
T4 (IVA): tumor invades bladder or rectum

Notes:

Simultaneous tumors of the uterine corpus and ovary / pelvis in association with ovarian / pelvic endometriosis should be classified as independent primary tumors

Regional lymph nodes (N) and FIGO stage:

NX: regional lymph nodes cannot be assessed
N0: no regional lymph node metastasis
N1 (IIIC): regional lymph node metastasis

Distant Metastasis (M) and FIGO stage:

M0: no distant metastasis
M1 (IVB): distant metastasis (excludes adnexa, pelvic and abdominal tissues)

Stage grouping and FIGO stage:

Stage I: T1 N0 M0
Stage IA: T1a N0 M0
Stage IB: T1b N0 M0
Stage II: T2 N0 M0
Stage IIIA: T3a N0 M0
Stage IIIB: T3b N0 M0
Stage IIIC: T1-3 N1 M0
Stage IVA: T4 any N M0
Stage IVB: any T any N M1

Uterine Adenosarcoma

Primary tumor (T) and FIGO stage:

TX: primary tumor cannot be assessed
T0: no evidence of primary tumor
T1 (I): tumor limited to the uterus
T1a (IA): tumor limited to the endometrium / endocervix
T1b (IB): tumor invades to less than 1/2 of the myometrium
T1c (IC): tumor invades more than 1/2 of the myometrium
T2 (II): tumor extends beyond the uterus, within the pelvis
T2a (IIA): tumor involves adnexa
T2b (IIB): tumor involves other pelvic tissues
T3 (III): tumor infiltrates abdominal tissues (lesions must not just protrude into abdominal cavity)
T3a (IIIA): tumor infiltrates abdominal tissues - one site
T3b (IIIB): tumor infiltrates abdominal tissues - more than one site
T4 (IVA): tumor invades bladder or rectum

Notes:

Simultaneous tumors of the uterine corpus and ovary / pelvis in association with ovarian / pelvic endometriosis should be classified as independent primary tumors

Regional lymph nodes (N) and FIGO stage: