The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
The stages of breast cancer
When doctors diagnose breast cancer, they typically tell their patients which stage the cancer is in. Men and women with no previous experience with cancer may not know what these stages signify or may not understand the differences between the stages. The following is a rundown of breast cancer stages to help men and women diagnosed with breast cancer better understand their disease.
Why are stages important?
Staging helps doctors determine how far the breast cancer has progressed, but staging also helps doctors determine the best course of treatment to contain or eliminate the cancer. For example, a person diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer will likely undergo a different course of treatment than someone diagnosed with stage 4.
How are stages determined?
A number of factors determine staging. These factors include:
● the size of the tumor within the breast,
● the number of lymph nodes affected, and
● signs indicating if the breast cancer has invaded other organs within the body.
Signs that the cancer has spread may be found in the bones, liver, lungs, or brain.
Stage 0 & 1
When breast cancer is detected early, it is often characterized as stage 0 or 1, which means the cancer cells have not spread beyond a very limited area.
Stage 0 breast cancer is a noninvasive cancer where abnormal cells have been found in the lining of the breast milk duct but have not spread outside the duct into surrounding breast tissue. Stage 0 breast cancer is very treatable, but if treatment is not sought, it can spread into surrounding breast tissue.
Stage 1 breast cancer is diagnosed when the tumor is very small and has not spread to the lymph nodes. In certain instances when a person is diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer, no tumor is found in the breast. When a tumor is found, it is typically two centimeters or smaller. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, breast cancer that is discovered and treated at stage 1 has a five-year survival rate of roughly 98 percent.
Stage 2
A stage 2 breast cancer diagnosis means the cancer has begun to grow or spread, but it is still in the early stages and typically very treatable. Stage 2 breast cancer is divided into two groups, stage 2A and stage 2B, a distinction that is made because of the size of the tumor and if the breast cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.
There may or may not be a tumor present when a person is diagnosed with stage 2A breast cancer. If a tumor is present, it is either less than two centimeters and cancer cells are present in less than four axillary lymph nodes or the tumor is between two and five centimeters but has not spread to the lymph nodes.
A tumor is present when a person is diagnosed with stage 2B breast cancer, and that tumor is either between two and five centimeters and spread to less than four axillary lymph nodes or it is larger than five centimeters but has not spread to any lymph nodes.
Stage 2 breast cancers typically respond well to treatment, but those treatments may be more aggressive than treatments for stage 0 or 1 breast cancers.
Stage 3
Stage 3 breast cancer is an advanced cancer that has invaded tissues surrounding the breast but has not spread to distant organs. Advancements to treat stage 3 breast cancer have made treatment more effective, even if a doctor describes the cancer as “inoperable,” which may mean that surgery will not be enough to rid the breast of the cancer in its entirety. Stage 3 breast cancer is divided into a three subgroups, which are determined by the size of the tumor and if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or surrounding tissue.
When a person is diagnosed with stage 3A, 3B or 3C breast cancer, his or her physician will likely discuss treatment plans that include a combination of treatment options.
Stage 4
A stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis means the cancer has spread to other areas of the body, which may include the brains, bones, lungs, or liver. Stage 4 breast cancer is considered incurable, though the NBCF notes that a growing number of women are living longer because their disease is being treated as a chronic condition. Treatment of stage 4 breast cancer may be determined by a patient’s access to specialists and sub-specialists, and some patients may be given the opportunity to participate in therapies that are still in the experimental phase. Unlike in years past, many stage 4 breast cancer patients can extend their lives for several years thanks in large part to advancements in research and medical technology.
More information about breast cancer is available at www.nationalbreastcancer.org.