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What does the letter after the stage mean?
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Oct 21, 2012 - 11:21 am
I forgot to ask my doctor. What does the letter after the stage mean? For example Stage IIIa or IIIc. |
Joined: Oct 2012
It's the grade of the tumour
Joined: Aug 2009
Actually this website (American Cancer Society) has a good explanation of the various stages of ovarian cancer. The letter following the III indicates the depth and/or spread of the cancer, pointing out the location of any metastasis. The grade (aggressiveness/likelihood of recurrence) of the cancer is typically a number like 1, 2, 3. So your cancer might be staged at IIIc and be a grade 1.