FIGO ovarian cancer staging guidelines (January 2014)

The International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (FIGO) has revised the staging of ovarian cancer. The approved, new ovarian cancer staging went into effect on Jan. 1, 2014.

The revision by FIGO followed a series of meetings which were concluded in Italy at the end of 2012. Representatives of several international organizations including the SGO participated in these deliberations under the leadership of Professor Lynette Denny from South Africa, the Chair of FIGO committee on Gynecologic Oncology.

The proposed changes were subsequently approved by the FIGO Executive Board, The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and the International Union Against Cancer (UICC). This new staging also applies to fallopian tube cancer and primary peritoneal cancer (where feasible). To keep the summary simple, we will just refer to ovary.

The new staging is summarized in this FIGO Ovarian Cancer Staging document with changes in italics. The guidelines will be published in the January 2014 issue of the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics.