Pancreatic cancer
staging
Pancreatic cancer Stage I
In stage I, cancer is found in the pancreas only. Stage I is divided into stage IA and
stage IB, depending on where the cancer has spread.
- Stage IA: Cancer is found only in the pancreas and is 2 centimeters or less
in size.
- Stage IB: Cancer is found only in the pancreas and is greater than 2
centimeters in size.
Pancreatic cancer Stage II
In stage II, cancer may have spread to nearby tissue and organs, and may have spread to
lymph nodes near the pancreas. Stage II is divided into stage IIA and stage IIB, depending
on where the cancer has spread.
- Stage IIA: Cancer has spread to nearby tissue and organs but has not spread
to nearby lymph nodes.
- Stage IIB: Cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes and may have spread to
nearby tissue and organs.
Pancreatic cancer Stage III
In stage III, cancer has spread to the major blood vessels near the pancreas, such as
the celiac axis (the junction where the celiac artery branches off from the aorta, just
below the diaphragm) and the superior mesenteric vein (the vein that returns blood from
the rectum and colon to the heart) and aorta, and may have spread to nearby lymph nodes.
Pancreatic cancer Stage IV
In stage IV, cancer may be of any size and has spread to distant organs, such as the
liver, lung, and peritoneal cavity (the body cavity that contains most of the organs in
the abdomen (such as the lungs). It may have also spread to organs and tissues near the
pancreas or to lymph nodes. |