Doctors use stages to describe the extent of a cancer's spread during treatment. The stages of pancreatic cancer are used to guide treatment and to classify patients for clinical trials. The stages of pancreatic cancer are:
Stage 0: No spread. Pancreatic cancer is limited to a single layer of cells in the pancreas. The pancreatic cancer is not visible on imaging tests or even to the naked eye.
Stage I: Local growth. Pancreatic cancer is limited to the pancreas, but has grown to less than 2 centimeters across (stage IA) or greater than 2 centimeters (stage IB).
Stage II: Local spread. Pancreatic cancer has grown outside the pancreas, or has spread to nearby lymph nodes.
Stage III: Wider spread. The tumor has expanded into nearby major blood vessels or nerves, but has not metastasized.
Stage IV: Confirmed spread. Pancreatic cancer has spread to distant organs.