The cancer stage is based upon the type of cancer. In general it is based on the size of the original (primary) tumor and whether or not it has grown into nearby tissues, whether or not the cancer has spread to the nearby lymph nodes, and whether or not the cancer has spread to distant areas of the body. Assuming your cancer is related to ovarian cancer, the means of staging can be found at: http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/OvarianCancer/DetailedGuide/ovarian-cancer-staging . For stage 3 Ovarian Cancer, the cancer involves one or both ovaries, and one or both of the following are present: (1) cancer has spread beyond the pelvis to the lining of the abdomen; (2) cancer has spread to lymph nodes

Hi Cindy, thank you so much. Yes, I believe my cancer has spread to the lining of the abdomen...not good. But hopefully with the surgery and chemo I'll have good results. I'm still somewhat in shock from this recent diagnosis and am so thankful for the folks like you out there in WhatNext!

You are welcome. I pray that your surgery and chemo go well.

Rita, I wasn't surprised to read your question, unfortunately. You would think that your doctors would spend enough time with you to answer even the unasked questions like what stage are you in. Sadly, even after seeing four or five doctors, surgery and many follow ups, I just never thought to ask myself. A transplant specialist was the one who asked me?????

It sounds like Cindy gave you good answers, but I would encourage you to bring this up with your doctors and ask them why they didn't explain things more cl;early???? Asking this might motivate them in the future to take more time with you.

We are praying for you!