Stage IIIC ovarian cancer is defined by peritoneal implants outside the pelvis and/or regional lymph node metastasis.

• A. Stage IIB
• B. Stage IIIC
• C. Stage IIIB
• D. Stage IV

Answer: (B)

In ovarian cancer, how far the disease has spread determines the stage, focusing on whether the peritoneum and nearby nodes are involved. When cancer extends beyond the pelvis to peritoneal surfaces in the upper abdomen and/or involves regional lymph nodes, it fits into Stage III. Within Stage III, the IIIC category is defined by peritoneal implants outside the pelvis and/or regional lymph node metastasis. This makes Stage IIIC the correct description for disease that has reached outside the pelvic area via peritoneal surfaces or has spread to nearby lymph nodes, rather than being limited to the pelvis or representing distant spread.

This is distinct from Stage IIIB, where peritoneal metastases beyond the pelvis are present but typically smaller in extent, and from Stage IV, which involves distant metastasis beyond the peritoneal cavity (such as to the liver parenchyma or the chest).