What exactly is staging

[andyfay]

Does the stage of your initial diagnosis ever change? For instance I was diagnos ed with stage 2 five years ago. They still have that on my records even though it have had a recurrence in a different place now. I guess I don't understand how this works. Years ago my mother had cancer and went for three different opinions. She got an account of three different stages. It ended up being a stage one

[NotThatGirl]

Hi andyfay,

My understanding is that your initial stage never changes. Sometimes cancers are "restaged", but this doesn't change your stage at diagnosis. Your initial stage is important in assessing the course your cancer will take and your prognosis (though no one can tell for sure).

Staging isn't an exact science, so different pathologists may come up with different opinions, however, this would have been far more prevalent "years ago" when your mum was diagnosed and the technology wasn't as good.

[andyfay in reply to NotThatGirl]

Thank you. I find this site so helpful. I really don't have any people that I talk to about this

[OvacomeSupport Partner My Ovacome Team in reply to andyfay]

Hi andyfay

Thank you for your question. As NotThatGirl has explained, the initial staging you are given at diagnosis remains the same throughout your treatment and beyond.

Ovacome has an information booklet about the different stages of ovarian cancer available here: ovacome.org.uk/the-stages-o.... Please let me know if you would like a copy of this sent in the post.

I’m really pleased to hear you are finding the forum helpful. We also have several support groups that may be of interest to you. These provide a safe and friendly space to meet others with an ovarian cancer diagnosis, and to share experiences and guidance. There’s the option to participate in all of our support groups virtually, and you would be very welcome to join us. For more information about our support groups and online events please visit: ovacome.org.uk/pages/events.... Please let me know if you would like more details or need help signing up.

Best wishes

Annie

Ovacome Support