[13] Cervical cancer staging is described by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO).

[16] These guidelines recommend the use of various physical examinations, types of imaging, and biopsies to determine the stage of cervical cancer.

During a pap smear, doctors collect a sample of the cells from the cervix to look at under a microscope to examine for any abnormalities or signs of pre-cancerous changes.

[14] Cervical cancer spreads directly from the cervix into surrounding organs and via the lymphatic system.

[16] Nearby structures that cervical cancer may spread to directly include the peritoneum, vagina, uterus, bladder, and rectum.

[16] If cervical cancer has spread to distant organs, such as the liver, lungs, or skeleton, this represents a late finding and significant disease.

[16] The cervical cancer stage assigned at initial diagnosis cannot be altered later, regardless of recurrence or later disease spread.

[16] Biopsy of nearby lymph nodes may also be necessary to determine if the cervical cancer has spread lymphatically.

[16] Imaging modalities, including ultrasound, MRI, CT, and positron emission tomography (PET), may be beneficial in helping to determine the stage of the disease, where resources permit.

These imaging modalities allow for the visualization of the tumor size, degree of spread of the cancer to lymph nodes and surrounding organs, and to evaluate for distant metastasis.

Ultrasound may also be a beneficial method of evaluating the extent of cancer spread when performed by an experienced sonographer.

[16] Overall, imaging has the benefit of providing greater information on cancer, including the size of the tumor and its spread beyond the cervix.

The performance of these procedures and imaging modalities is highly individualized based on the symptoms the patient has and the evidence of disease progression.

[13][20] Controversially, the presence of the spread of cervical cancer to nearby lymph nodes does not change the stage of the diagnosis but is important to note as it may alter the treatment plan.

[16][19][22] Cervical cancer has spread to involve any or all of the following: lower third of the vagina, pelvic wall, pelvic or para-aortic lymph nodes (more distant lymph nodes), is causing hydronephrosis (blockage of the kidney), and/or is causing a non-functioning kidney.

[16][19][22] The drive to develop a staging for gynecological malignancies, including cancer of the cervix, was the need to have a uniform method to describe the extent of the disease.

Comparing outcomes from different treatments could only be possible if the comparison were made for groups of patients with a similar degree of disease burden.

A major topic of debate was the impact that newer diagnostic modalities would have on low- and middle-income countries, which bear most of the disease burden.