Stage 3 cervical cancer means the cancer has started to spread but is still close to the cervix. It can be divided into two substages, with cancer in the lower part of the vagina or pelvic walls. The chances of successful treatment decrease as the cancer spreads, but doctors can still treat this stage.
A diagnosis of stage 3 cervical cancer indicates that the cancer has started to spread but is still in structures close to the cervix. For example, when a woman has this stage of cervical cancer, the cancer may have spread to the lower part of the vagina or the wall of the pelvis. However, it has not yet moved to other more distant body parts. Often, stage 3 cervical cancer is divided into two substages: one affects the lower part of the vagina but not the pelvic walls, while the other has cancer in the pelvic walls and possibly the pelvic lymph nodes.
There are four stages of cervical cancer. Stage one is the earliest form of the disease and represents the length of time during which cervical cancer is most treatable. In the second stage, the cancerous cells have moved beyond the cervix but have yet to affect the pelvic wall or the lower section of the patient’s vagina. Stage 3 is the last stage before this type of cancer spreads to organs further away from the cervix. It is characterized by the spread of cancer to the lower part of the vagina, pelvic wall or pelvic lymph nodes.
Stage 3 cervical cancer is not the most severe stage of the disease. However, it represents a progression of the cancer and a worsening prognosis for the patient. As the cancer spreads, the chances of successful treatment decrease. Similarly, a patient’s life expectancy changes as she enters stage 3 cervical cancer and moves to stage 4. This, however, does not mean that doctors cannot treat this stage of cancer.
There are a couple of substages of stage 3 cervical cancer. At this stage, an individual may have stage 3A or 3B cervical cancer. With stage 3A cervical cancer, the cancerous cells have spread to the lower part of the vagina. At this point, the pelvic wall and lymph nodes near the cervix are unaffected. If, however, the woman has stage 3B cervical cancer, the cancer has invaded the walls of her pelvis and may have blocked her ureters, which are tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. In stage 3B, cancer cells may also have spread to the lymph nodes.
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