Ovarian cancer can develop from any of the cell types within the ovaries. The National Cancer Institute indicates that ovarian cancer caused more than 14,000 deaths and led to more than 21,500 new cancer diagnoses in the United States in 2009. Most ovarian cancers develop from the epithelial cells that cover the surface of the ovary, but they may also develop from cells within the ovary. Ovarian cancer is classified in distinct stages according to the size and invasiveness of the tumor, and untreated ovarian cancers can prove fatal.
Stage IIIB: Invasion of the Abdomen
Stage IIIB cancer refers to a late-stage case of ovarian cancer. The American Cancer Society indicates that stage IIIB ovarian cancers have cancerous cells within one or both ovaries. Tumors in stage IIIB ovarian cancer are typically large enough to be seen with the naked eye by a surgeon. The cancer cells have also gained the ability to invade neighboring tissues, and the cancer has spread into the abdomen. Ovarian cancer patients may feel abdominal pain at this stage as the cancer cells attack healthy tissue to facilitate further tumor growth. If left untreated, cancers at this stage will continue to progress and begin to invade other tissue.
Stage IIIC: Invasion of Lymph Nodes
Stage IIIC ovarian cancers occur when the cancer cells begin to invade a broader range of tissues around the ovaries. Patients with stage IIIC ovarian cancers have cancer in one of both ovaries, as well as tumors growths within tissues of the abdomen. Cancerous growths within the abdomen of stage IIIC ovarian cancer patients are easily seen with the naked eye, and grow to over 0.75 inches in diameter, reports the American Cancer Society. Stage IIIC ovarian cancer tumors also spread into the lymph nodes surrounding the ovaries. Since the lymph nodes make up a part of the lymphatic system, which involves the circulation of fluid throughout the entire body, the spread of cancer cells into the lymph nodes is a precursor step in the spread to distant tissues.
Stage IV: Metastasis
The final stage of ovarian cancer is stage IV cancer, which occurs when the cancer spreads to a number of organs throughout the body--a process called metastasis. Metastatic ovarian cancer cells can circulate throughout the entire body via the lymph fluid or in the blood, or enter into the abdominal cavity and colonize in a range of organs. CancerFacts.com indicates that ovarian cancer most commonly spreads to the lungs, liver, bowel, bladder or uterus. Once ovarian cancer has metastasized to distant organs, tumor growth impedes organ function, which can lead to difficulty breathing, liver damage or liver failure, bowel obstructions or urinary defects. In the latest stage of ovarian cancer, severe metastases can lead to multiple organ failure and death.
