Stage 3: Cancer is found in one or both ovaries and has spread outside the pelvis to other parts of the abdomen and/or nearby lymph nodes. Cancer that has spread to the surface of the liver is also considered stage 3 ovarian cancer.

• Stage 3A1: Cancer involves the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or may be primary peritoneal cancer that involves pelvic or para-aortic lymph nodes without spread to other sites in the abdomen or pelvis.
• Stage 3A2 Cancer is in one or both ovaries or fallopian tubes, or is primary peritoneal cancer, with evidence of microscopic implants beyond the pelvic region. The cancer may have also spread to pelvic or para-aortic lymph nodes.
• Stage 3B: Cancer is on one or both ovaries or fallopian tubes, or is primary peritoneal cancer, and it has visibly spread to organs outside the pelvic region, but the cancer deposits are 2 centimeters or smaller.
• Stage 3C: Cancer is in one or both ovaries or fallopian tubes, or is primary peritoneal cancer, and it has visibly spread to organs outside the pelvic region with deposits larger than 2 centimeters and/or cancer has spread to lymph nodes in the abdomen or to the surface of the liver or spleen

The majority of all cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed when they are Stage 3.  

Sources: American Cancer Society and Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance

Stage 3 Prognosis & Survival Rates

Most women diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer have a five-year survival rate of approximately 41%. Survival rates are often based on studies of large numbers of people, but they can’t predict what will happen in any particular person’s case. Other factors impact a woman’s prognosis, including her general health, the histology, surgical debulking status, grade of the cancer, and how well the cancer responds to treatment.

Stage 3 Treatment
Treatment for Stage 3 ovarian cancer is the same as for Stage 2 ovarian cancer: hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of both ovaries and fallopian tubes), debulking of as much of the tumor as possible, and sampling of lymph nodes and other tissues in the pelvis and abdomen that are suspected of harboring cancer. After surgery, the patient will receive combination chemotherapy.