The stage of a cancer describes its size and whether it has spread beyond its original site. Knowing the extent of the cancer and the grade helps the doctors to decide on the most appropriate treatment.

The stages of cervical cancer are described below:

Stage 1 The cancer cells are only within the cervix.

Stage 2 The tumour has spread into surrounding structures such as the upper part of the vagina or tissues next to the cervix.

Stage 3 The tumour has spread to surrounding structures such as the lower part of the vagina, nearby lymph nodes, or tissues at the sides of the pelvic area. Sometimes a tumour that has spread to the pelvis may press on one of the ureters (the tubes through which urine passes from the kidneys to the bladder). If the tumour is causing pressure on a ureter there may be a build up of urine in the kidney.

Stage 2 or 3 tumours are called locally advanced cervical cancer.

Stage 4 The tumour has spread to the bladder or bowel or beyond the pelvic area. This stage includes tumours that have spread into the lungs, liver or bone, although this is not common.

If the cancer comes back after initial treatment this is known as recurrent cancer.

The grade of a cancer gives an idea of how quickly it may develop. To find the grade of your cancer, your doctors will look at a sample of the cancer (a biopsy) under the microscope. It may be graded as:

• Grade 1 (low grade) – the cancer cells tend to be slow growing, look quite similar to normal cells (are 'well differentiated') and are less likely to spread than higher grades.

• Grade 2 (moderate grade) – the cells look more abnormal and are slightly faster-growing.

• Grade 3 (high grade) – the cancer cells tend to be more quickly growing, look very abnormal (are 'poorly differentiated') and are more likely to spread than low-grade cancers.