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After a woman is diagnosed with vaginal cancer, doctors will try to figure out if it has spread, and if so, how far. This process is called staging. The stage of a cancer describes how much cancer is in the body. It helps determine how serious the cancer is and how best to treat it. Doctors also use a cancer's stage when talking about survival statistics.
Vaginal cancer stages range from stage I (1) through IV (4). As a rule, the lower the number, the less the cancer has spread. A higher number, such as stage IV, means cancer has spread more. Although each person’s cancer experience is unique, cancers with similar stages tend to have a similar outlook and are often treated in much the same way.
The 2 systems used for staging vaginal cancer, the FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) system and the AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer TNM staging system) are basically the same.
They both use 3 key pieces of information to stage (classify) this cancer :
Numbers or letters after T, N, and M provide more details about each of these factors. Higher numbers mean the cancer is more advanced. Once a person’s T, N, and M categories have been determined, this information is combined in a process called stage grouping to assign an overall stage.
The staging system in the table primarily uses the clinical stage. This is based on the results of a physical exam, biopsy, and imaging tests done before surgery. Surgical staging is determined by examining tissue removed during an operation. For more on this, see Cancer Staging.
The system described below is the most recent AJCC system, effective as of January 2018.
These systems are not used to stage vaginal melanoma, which is staged like melanoma of the skin. Information about melanoma staging can be found in Melanoma Skin Cancer.
Vaginal cancer staging can be complex, so ask your doctor to explain it to you in a way you understand.
AJCC Stage |
Stage grouping |
FIGO Stage |
Stage description* |
IA |
T1a N0 M0 |
I |
The cancer is only in the vagina and is no larger than 2 cm (4/5 inch) (T1a). It has not spread to nearby lymph nodes (N0) or to distant sites (M0). |
IB |
T1b N0 M0
|
I |
The cancer is only in the vagina and is larger than 2.0 cm (4/5 inch) (T1b). It has not spread to nearby lymph nodes (N0) or to distant sites (M0). |
IIA
|
T2a N0 M0 |
II |
The cancer has grown through the vaginal wall, but not as far as the pelvic wall and is no larger than 2.0 cm (4/5 inch) (T2a). It has not spread to nearby lymph nodes (N0) or to distant sites (M0). |
IIB |
T2b N0 M0 |
II |
The cancer has grown through the vaginal wall, but not as far as the pelvic wall and is larger than 2.0 cm (4/5 inch) (T2b). It has not spread to nearby lymph nodes (N0) or to distant sites (M0). |
III
|
T1 to T3 N1 M0 |
III |
The cancer can be any size and might be growing into the pelvic wall and/or has blocked the flow of urine (hydronephrosis) which is causing the kidneys to not work. (T1 to T3). It has also spread to nearby lymph nodes in the pelvis or groin (inguinal) area (N1) but not distant sites (M0). |
OR |
|||
T3 N0 M0 |
III |
The cancer is growing into the pelvic wall and/or has blocked the flow of urine (hydronephrosis) which is causing the kidneys to not work. (T3). It has not spread to nearby lymph nodes (N0) or to distant sites (M0). |
|
IVA |
T4 Any N M0 |
IVA |
The cancer is growing into the bladder or rectum or is growing out of the pelvis (T4). It might or might not have spread to lymph nodes in the pelvis or groin (inguinal area) (Any N). It has not spread to distant sites (M0). |
IVB |
Any T Any N M1 |
IVB |
The cancer has spread to distant organs such as the lungs, liver, or bones. (M1). It can be any size and might or might not have grown into nearby structures or organs (Any T). It might or might not have spread to nearby lymph nodes (Any N). |
The following additional categories are not listed in the table above:
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
American Joint Committee on Cancer. Vagina. In: AJCC Cancer Staging Manual. 8th ed. New York, NY: Springer; 2017:641-647.
Last Revised: September 15, 2021
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