The Stages of Breast Cancer

There are five different stages of breast cancer, and these are commonly referred to as stage 0, stage I, stage II, stage III, and stage IV. The stage you are diagnosed at is dependent on many factors, including how large the cancer is, how invasive it is, and if it has begun to travel to other healthy tissue in the body.

Stage 0: If you are diagnosed at stage 0, it means that your cancer was found very early on and that it is highly treatable and survivable. In stage 0, you can have either lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). LCIS is not cancer, but if you are diagnosed with it, then it does mean that your risk of developing breast cancer is greatly increased. DCIS can be considered either stage 0 or stage I. It occurs when malignant-looking cells in the lining of the breast duct start to clone themselves and proliferate, and many scientists now believe that DCIS could be a precursor to invasive breast cancer and thus doctors treat it aggressively.

Stage I: If you are diagnosed at stage I, it means that your cancer is not larger than two centimeters and that it has not spread to your lymph nodes. It also means that the cancer has not spread beyond your breast to other healthy tissue in the body. This is very good news as it indicates that the cancer is highly treatable. There are several treatment options ranging from lumpectomy to mastectomy to radiation to chemotherapy, and your doctor can help you decide which option is right for you.

Stage II: There are two stages of stage II, stage IIA and stage IIB. The National Cancer Institute defines stage IIA as a condition in which one of the following applies:

• No tumor is found in the breast, but cancer is found in the axillary lymph nodes (lymph nodes under the arm).
• The tumor is two centimeters or smaller and has spread to the axillary lymph nodes.
• The tumor is larger than two centimeters but not larger than five centimeters and has not spread to the axillary lymph nodes.

And the cancer is determined to be stage IIB if one of the following is true:

• The tumor is larger than two centimeters but not larger than five centimeters and has spread to the axillary lymph nodes
• The tumor is larger than five centimeters but has not spread to the axillary lymph nodes.

Stage III: There are three stages of stage III, which are stage IIIA, stage IIIB, and stage IIIC.

According to the National Cancer Institute, the cancer is in stage IIIA if one of the following is true:

• No tumor is found in the breast, but cancer is found in axillary lymph nodes that are attached to each other or to other structures, or cancer may be found in lymph nodes near the breastbone.
• The tumor is two centimeters or smaller. Cancer has spread to axillary lymph nodes that are attached to each other or to other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone.
• The tumor is larger than two centimeters but not larger than five centimeters. Cancer has spread to axillary lymph nodes that are attached to each other or to other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone.
• The tumor is larger than five centimeters. Cancer has spread to axillary lymph nodes that may be attached to each other or to other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone.

In stage IIIB, the tumor may be any size and at least one of the following is true:

• Cancer has spread to the chest wall and/or the skin of the breast.
• Cancer may have spread to axillary lymph nodes that may be attached to each other or to other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone.

Cancer that has spread to the skin of the breast is inflammatory breast cancer and is stage IIIB unless it has spread to the nodes, which then defines it as stage IV.

In stage IIIC, there may be no sign of cancer in the breast or the tumor may be any size and may have spread to the chest wall and/or the skin of the breast. In addition, one of the following applies:

• Cancer has spread to lymph nodes above or below the collarbone.
• Cancer may have spread to axillary lymph nodes or to lymph nodes near the breastbone.

Stage IIIC breast cancer is divided into operable and inoperable stage IIIC.

In operable stage IIIC, one of the following is true:

• Cancer is found in ten or more axillary lymph nodes.
• Cancer is found in lymph nodes below the collarbone.
• Cancer is found in axillary lymph nodes and in lymph nodes near the breastbone.

In inoperable stage IIIC breast cancer, the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes above the collarbone.

Stage IV: When breast cancer is at this stage, it means that the cancer has spread to other areas of the body, which commonly include the lungs, brain, bones, and liver. This is the most serious of all the stages.

Treatments vary at each stage and can include radiation, chemotherapy, other anti-cancer drugs, and surgery such as lumpectomy, mastectomy, or double mastectomy. In many cases, a combination of these treatments will be used to combat the cancer. Your doctor can talk to you about your treatment options and help you understand your diagnosis. By learning more about what stage you are in, you can become better educated and empowered to fight against cancer and reclaim your health and wellness.

For more information, go to http://cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast.