UNDERSTANDING

Teemac

OKAY I JUST GOT DIAGNOIS LAST WEEK. WHEN I STARTED ON THIS SITE EVERYONE KEPT TELLING ME TO ASK FOR A COPY OF MY PATHOLOGY REPORT. I JUST GOT THE REPORT TODAY NOW CAN SOMEONE HELP ME UNDERSTAND IT? IT SAYS I HAVE ENDOMETRIOID ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMA, FIGO GRADE I/III. I KNOW I HAVE ENDOMETRIAL CANCER BUT WHAT IS THE FIGO GRADE I/III MEAN?

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP TEE

lindaprocopio

Hi, Tee! It says FIGO Grade 1 / 3 ??
I want to make sure I understand what you've typed. Are you saying FIGO Grade I / III (FIGO 1 / 3) ?? If so, it is saying that your cancer is a mix of less aggressive (Grade I) and very aggressive (Grade III) cells. If Grade 3 cells are a part of your cancer type, you probably have some chemo in your near future. Please double check that grade and let us know for sure, as the GRADE of cancer really dictates what adjuvant therapy will come after your surgery more than anything else.

I thought FIGO related more to STAGE than GRADE, though, so please check and see if the STAGE of your cancer is noted in your pathology report. The STAGE relates to the spread of the cancer, so that's important also. Please let us know what else the report says that we can help interpret.

It's like learning a new language, isn't it? ((((Tee))))

Teemac

lindaprocopio said:

Hi, Tee! It says FIGO Grade 1 / 3 ??
I want to make sure I understand what you've typed. Are you saying FIGO Grade I / III (FIGO 1 / 3) ?? If so, it is saying that your cancer is a mix of less aggressive (Grade I) and very aggressive (Grade III) cells. If Grade 3 cells are a part of your cancer type, you probably have some chemo in your near future. Please double check that grade and let us know for sure, as the GRADE of cancer really dictates what adjuvant therapy will come after your surgery more than anything else.

I thought FIGO related more to STAGE than GRADE, though, so please check and see if the STAGE of your cancer is noted in your pathology report. The STAGE relates to the spread of the cancer, so that's important also. Please let us know what else the report says that we can help interpret.

It's like learning a new language, isn't it? ((((Tee))))

It says FIGO Grade I/III
It is a very short one page report. It does not say stage any where on it. It says final diagnosis

uterus, endometrium, dilatation and curettage:
1. endometrioid endometrial carcinoma, figo grade i/iii
2. background of extensive complex atypical hyperlasia

then it goes on to give a discription of the mass.

That is all. It is like learning a whole new language.

llight

Teemac said:

It says FIGO Grade I/III
It is a very short one page report. It does not say stage any where on it. It says final diagnosis

uterus, endometrium, dilatation and curettage:
1. endometrioid endometrial carcinoma, figo grade i/iii
2. background of extensive complex atypical hyperlasia

then it goes on to give a discription of the mass.

That is all. It is like learning a whole new language.

Grade 1
The biopsy from your D&C indicates:

Type: Endometriod endometrial cancer - Sounds like Type 1 which is usu. hormonal-related. Type 1 cancers are usu. less aggressive.

Grade: 1 (It says 1/3 because there are 3 possible grades) Grade 1 is good, it is the least aggressive. Grade 3 is most aggressive.

You don't have a stage because you haven't had the surgery. The surgery will indicate how much it has spread.

FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) indicates the grading classification the pathologist used. The other classification system used is AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer). In your case, they used FIGO.

This website will give you info on classifications (FIGO, AJCC) of staging and grading.
http://www.revolutionhealth.com/articles/stage-and-grade-of-endometrial-cancer/uh1382

This site might make more sense now that you have more info:
http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/EndometrialCancer/DetailedGuide/endometrial-uterine-cancer-what-is-endometrial-cancer

Response to your other post:
Malignant tumors=cancer=neoplasms (all are synonyms)

It says "final diagnosis" based on the biopsy specimen they got from your D&C. It does not mean you have a definitive diagnosis. To get a definitive diagnosis, you need to be "staged" or have the surgery. Again, the meaning of "final diagnosis" only relates to the diagnosis that pathologist found from your D&C biopsy specimen that they examined. Just wanted to clarify this part.

Hope this helps.

nempark

llight said:

Grade 1
The biopsy from your D&C indicates:

Type: Endometriod endometrial cancer - Sounds like Type 1 which is usu. hormonal-related. Type 1 cancers are usu. less aggressive.

Grade: 1 (It says 1/3 because there are 3 possible grades) Grade 1 is good, it is the least aggressive. Grade 3 is most aggressive.

You don't have a stage because you haven't had the surgery. The surgery will indicate how much it has spread.

FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) indicates the grading classification the pathologist used. The other classification system used is AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer). In your case, they used FIGO.

This website will give you info on classifications (FIGO, AJCC) of staging and grading.
http://www.revolutionhealth.com/articles/stage-and-grade-of-endometrial-cancer/uh1382

This site might make more sense now that you have more info:
http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/EndometrialCancer/DetailedGuide/endometrial-uterine-cancer-what-is-endometrial-cancer

Response to your other post:
Malignant tumors=cancer=neoplasms (all are synonyms)

It says "final diagnosis" based on the biopsy specimen they got from your D&C. It does not mean you have a definitive diagnosis. To get a definitive diagnosis, you need to be "staged" or have the surgery. Again, the meaning of "final diagnosis" only relates to the diagnosis that pathologist found from your D&C biopsy specimen that they examined. Just wanted to clarify this part.

Hope this helps.

Linda and llight
Wow!!! your explanation was of great help to me. I always wondered what FIGO meant. Thanks for clearing that up for me. I just leaned today that I had MMMT stage 1a grade 3. I knew I had MMMT but did not know the stage. So stage 3 is the more aggressive type and that does not mean that it had spread.Wow guys even my docs weren't that explicit. Thanks guys!!!j

lindaprocopio

nempark said:

Linda and llight
Wow!!! your explanation was of great help to me. I always wondered what FIGO meant. Thanks for clearing that up for me. I just leaned today that I had MMMT stage 1a grade 3. I knew I had MMMT but did not know the stage. So stage 3 is the more aggressive type and that does not mean that it had spread.Wow guys even my docs weren't that explicit. Thanks guys!!!j

I think I've ADDED to the confusion instead of the opposite
You don't want to mix up STAGE (which relates the cancer spread) and GRADE (which relates to cancer's likelihood to spread or recur). If you are 'STAGE' 3, that means that your cancer has spread beyond the local region, usually into a lymph node they removed in your surgery. But if your cancer is 'GRADE' 3, it takes about the make-up of cancer cell itself. If it is a GRADE 1 cell, it is much more unlikely to spread or recur. If it is a GRADE 3 cell, even if caught in an early STAGE, it is much more likely to have travelled and be lurking somewhere in microscopic form and usually an oncologist calls for chemo.

But I didn't understand the "/" on that pathology report, and apologize if I made the wrong assumption. If llight is right (and she probably is!) and the "/" in "1 / 3" refers to "Grade 1 of 3 possible grades", then chemo probably WON'T be necessary unless the hysterectomy shows that the cancer is already on the move, although that will be very unlikely with a Grade 1 cancer. (I didn't realize that this was a 'D&C' pathology report originally; I thought it was from the hysterectomy, so I apologize for that also.)

Sorry for adding to the confusion.

Teemac

THANK YOU
I HAVE TO SAY I AM VERY GLAD I FOUND THIS SITE. EVERYTIME I HAVE POSTED A QUESTION I HAVE GOTTEN A BETTER EXPLATION BACK THEN WHEN I HAVE ASKED MY DR. THIS SITE AND THE WONDERFULL PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY HELPED ME A TON. NOT ONLY TO UNDERSTAND MORE OF WHAT IS GOING ON BUT TO LIGHTEN MY SPIRITS A LET ME KNOW I AM NOT ALONE OUT THERE. THANK YOU ALL! YOU ARE SOME OF THE STRONGEST WOMEN I HAVE EVER COME IN CONTACT WITH.

TEE