How is endometrial cancer staged?
Endometrial cancer is a common gynecological malignancy in women. Based on surgical and pathological results, endometrial cancer can be divided into four stages. Stage I is the mildest form of endometrial cancer, where the cancer is confined only within the endometrium and does not extend beyond the uterine serosa. Generally, stage 1a is when the cancer is less than half the width of the muscle, while stage 1b is when the cancer infiltrates more than half the width of the muscle. Stage II means the cancer has locally spread but only involves the cervix, without causing cervical stromal infiltration. Stage III involves local spread to the serosa and lymph nodes. Stage IV involves distant metastasis, such as to the liver and bones.