Upon receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, patients will soon receive a pathology report that informs them about the stage their cancer is in. The stage indicates how advanced the cancer is and whether or not it is limited to one area of the breast or has spread to other tissue or even other parts of the body. Understanding the stages of breast cancer can help patients cope with their diagnoses more effectively.
Once the doctor has completed all the necessary testing, patients will then receive their pathology reports, which will include the stage of the cancer. The following rundown of the various stages of breast cancer can help breast cancer patients better understand their disease.
Stage 0
Non-invasive breast cancers are considered to be in stage 0. When doctors have determined the cancer is in stage 0, that means they have not seen any indication that the cancer cells or the abnormal non-cancerous cells have spread out of the part of the breast in which they started.
Breast cancer patients may hear the term Òfive-year survival rateÓ when discussing their disease with their physicians. The five-year survival rate refers to the percentage of people who live at least five years after being diagnosed with cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for women with stage 0 breast cancer is nearly 100 percent.
Stage I
Stage I refers to invasive breast cancer and is broken down into two categories: stage IA and stage IB. Stage IA refers to invasive breast cancers in which the tumor is up to two centimeters and the cancer has not spread outside the breast. The lymph nodes are not involved in stage IA breast cancers. In some stage IB breast cancers, there is no tumor in the breast but there are small groups of cancer cells in the lymph nodes larger than 0.2 millimeter but not larger than two millimeters. But stage IB breast cancers may also refer to instances when there is both a tumor in the breast that is no larger than two centimeters and small groups of cancer cells in the lymph nodes that are larger than 0.2 millimeter but no larger than two millimeters. The ACS notes that the five-year survival rate for stage I breast cancers is roughly 100 percent.
Stage II
Stage II breast cancers are also divided into two subcategories: stage IIA and stage IIB. Both subcategories are invasive, but stage II breast cancers are more complex than stage 0 or stage I breast cancers. Stage IIA describes breast cancers in which no tumor can be found in the breast, but cancer that is larger than two millimeters is found in one to three axillary lymph nodes (the lymph nodes under the arm) or in the lymph nodes near the breast bone. But an invasive breast cancer can still be considered stage IIA if the tumor measures two centimeters or smaller and has spread to the axillary lymph nodes or if the tumor is larger than two centimeters but not larger than five centimeters and has not spread to the axillary lymph nodes.
Stage IIB breast cancer describes breast cancers in which the tumor is larger than two centimeters but no larger than five centimeters, and there are small groups of breast cancer cells in the lymph nodes. These small groups of cells are larger than 0.2 millimeters but no larger than two millimeters. Stage IIB may also be used to describe breast cancers in which the tumor is larger than two centimeters but no larger than five centimeters and the cancer has spread to between one and three axillary lymph nodes or to lymph nodes near the breastbone. Tumors that are larger than five centimeters but have not spread to the axillary lymph nodes may also be referred to as stage IIB breast cancers. The five-year survival rate for stage II breast cancers is about 93 percent.
Stage III
Stage III cancers are invasive breast cancers broken down into three categories: IIIA, IIIB and IIIC. When patients are diagnosed with stage IIIA breast cancer, that means doctors may not have found a tumor in their breast or the tumor may be any size. In stage IIIA, cancer may have been found in four to nine axillary lymph nodes or in the lymph nodes near the breastbone. Tumors larger than five centimeters that are accompanied by small groups of breast cancer cells (larger than 0.2 millimeter but no larger than two millimeters) in the lymph nodes also indicate a breast cancer has advanced to stage IIIA. But stage IIIA may also be used to describe breasts cancers in which the tumor is larger than five centimeters and the cancer has spread to one to three axillary lymph nodes or to the lymph nodes near the breastbone.
A stage IIIB breast cancer diagnosis indicates the tumor may be any size and has spread to the chest wall and/or the skin of the breast, causing swelling or an ulcer. The cancer may have spread to up to nine axillary lymph nodes or may have spread to the lymph nodes near the breastbone.
In stage IIIC breast cancer, doctors may not see any sign of cancer in the breast. If there is a tumor, it may be any size and may have spread to the chest wall and/or the skin of the breast. To be categorized as stage IIIC, the cancer must also have spread to 10 or more axillary lymph nodes or to the lymph nodes above or below the collarbone or to the axillary lymph nodes or lymph nodes near the breastbone. The ACS notes that women diagnosed with stage III breast cancer are often successfully treated and that the five-year survival rate is 72 percent.
Stage IV
Invasive breast cancers that have spread beyond the breast and lymph nodes to other areas of the body are referred to as stage IV. Stage IV breast cancer may be a recurrence of a previous breast cancer, though some women with no prior history of breast cancer receive stage IV diagnoses. The five-year survival rate for stage IV breast cancers is 22 percent.
More information about breast cancer is available at www.breastcancer.org.
