What Are the Stages of Breast Cancer?

Medically reviewed by: Dr. Jay R. Anam

Topics covered in this Article:

  1. Overview
  2. TNM Staging
  3. Breast Cancer Staging

Overview

In this video, Dr. Jay R. Anam (Breast cancer surgeon, SSO Hospital, Mumbai) will inform us about 5 pages of breast cancer and how they are diagnosed. The stage of breast cancer is determined by cancer’s characteristics, such as how large it is and whether or not it has hormone receptors.

TNM Staging

The breast cancer staging system, called the TNM system, is overseen by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC). The AJCC is a group of cancer experts who oversee how cancer is classified and communicated. This is to ensure that all doctors and treatment facilities are describing cancer in a uniform way so that the treatment results of all people can be compared and understood.

TNM means T – Tumor Size, N- Nodal status and M- Metastasis. TNM staging is a universal language for understanding for classifying the extent of the spread of cancer.

Breast cancer staging

The breast cancer stage is usually expressed as a number on a scale of 0 through IV

Breast cancer Stage 0

Breast cancer stage 0- describes non-invasive non-cancerous lumps which may later be cancerous such as Ductal carcinoma in situ , Lobular carcinoma in situ and Paget’s disease of the nipple.

Breast cancer Stage I

  • The tumour measures up to 2 cm.
  • Cancer has not spread outside the breast; no lymph nodes are involved
  • In some chances there is no tumour in the breast; instead, small groups of cancer cells larger than 0.2 mm but not larger than 2 mm are found in the lymph nodes or there is a tumor in the breast that is no larger than 2 cm, and there are small groups of cancer cells — larger than 0.2 mm but not larger than 2 mm — in the lymph nodes.

This does not impact much on treatment or prognosis. Therefore this is included in stage 1.

Breast Cancer Stage II

  • No tumor can be found in the breast, but cancer (larger than 2 mm) is found in 1 to 3 axillary lymph nodes (the lymph nodes under the arm) or in the lymph nodes near the breast bone
  • The tumor measures 2 cm or smaller and has spread to the axillary lymph nodes
  • The tumor is larger than 2 cm but not larger than 5 cm and has not spread to the axillary lymph nodes

Stage 1 and Stage 2 breast cancer are called early stage of breast cancer.

Breast cancer Stage III

  • No tumor is found in the breast or the tumor may be any size; cancer is found in 4 to 9 axillary lymph nodes or in the lymph nodes near the breastbone
  • The tumor is larger than 5 cm; small groups of breast cancer cells (larger than 0.2 mm but not larger than 2 mm) are found in the lymph nodes
  • The tumor is larger than 5 cm; cancer has spread to more than 3 axillary lymph nodes or to the lymph nodes near the breastbone.

Stage III breast cancer is also called as locally advanced breast cancer.

Breast cancer Stage IV

Stage IV describes invasive breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes to other organs of the body, such as the lungs, distant lymph nodes, skin, bones, liver, or brain.

Breast cancer is detected in the early stages can be cured completely. If you believe you feel a lump in your breast, talk with your doctor to determine the next best steps. They will help guide you through the diagnosis and treatment process.

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