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Stages of Breast Cancer

The most widespread type of cancer in women is breast cancer, and most cancers can be classified into stages. Breast cancer develops at different stages beginning from stage 0 to stage IV. This depends on various factors like size of the tumor, if this cancer is non-invasive or invasive, if the cancer has spread to any other part of the body beside the breast or if the lymph nodes are also involved.

The staging of breast cancer helps the health provider understand and organize the cancer characteristics so that:-

  1. These cancerous cells are better understood and the patient can accordingly be provided with the treatment.
  2. The prediction of the outcome of the disease is better understood.
  3. Provide a description of severity of the cancer to the doctors and nurses worldwide who will help them compare the treatment and understand better.

The different stages of breast cancer are as follows:-

  • Stage 0

    This stage is also used explain non invasive breast cancer. In this stage no evidence has been found that the cancer or non cancer abnormal cells have invaded tissues of the other parts of the body. It divided into 2 types LCIS (Lobular carcinoma in situ) and DCIS (Ductal carcinoma in situ).

    • In LCIS, a lobule is lined by abnormal cell. This rarely becomes invasive cancer. If LCIS is present in one breast there are high chances of the other breast getting infected.
    • In DCIS, a duct is lined by abnormal cells. This is also known as intraductal carcinoma. DCIS rarely becomes invasive cancer if treatment is not given.

  • Stage I

    This stage explains the beginning stage of invasive breast cancer as to how the cells invade to different adjoining tissues. The tumors usually measures up to 2 cm. The cancer cells do not spread beyond the breast and no lymph nodes are implicated.

  • Stage II

    In this stage the tumor usually doesn’t measure more than 2 cm (equivalent to three quarter of an inch). In this stage the breast cancer can spread to the lymph nodes underneath the arm (axillary lymph nodes). This stage is divided in to two categories:

    • Stage IIA which is known as invasive breast cancer where no tumor as such is found but the cancer cells are present in the lymph nodes underneath the arm (axillary lymph nodes) or the tumor has spread to the lymph nodes underneath the arm (axillary lymph nodes) and can be less than 2 cm or the tumor has not spread to the lymph nodes underneath the arm (axillary lymph nodes) but is more than 2cm (not more than 5cm).
    • Stage IIB explains invasive breast cancer where the tumor has not spread to the lymph nodes underneath the arm (axillary lymph nodes but is more than 2cm (not more than 5cm) or is bigger than 5 cm and has not spread to the lymph nodes underneath the arm (axillary lymph nodes) or the tumor has spread to the lymph nodes.

  • Stage III

    In this stage the breast cancer is locally advanced. This stage is further divided in to IIIA, IIIB and IIIC:

    • Stage IIIA
      The breast cancer is smaller than 2 inches ( 5 cm) and has either spread to the lymph nodes underneath the arm which attach one another or to other structure or has spread to the lymph node that is at the back of the breast bone or the tumor in the breast is more than 2inches (5cm) and has either spread to the lymph nodes underneath the arm which attached to one another or to any other structure or the tumor in the breast has spread to the lymph node that is at the back of the breast bone.
    • Stage IIIB
      In this stage the tumor in the breast of any size has grown inside the skin of the breast or chest wall. It may be linked with lumps (nodules) or swelling of the breast in the breast skin. The tumor could have either spread to the lymph nodes underneath the arm or to the lymph nodes at the back of the breast bone. The rare type of breast cancer is inflammatory breast cancer. In this case, the breast looks swollen and red as the cancer cells block the vessels of the lymph inside the skin of the breast. When this type of breast cancer is diagnosed it is usually a less advanced Stage IIIB breast cancer but can reach the advanced stage if not treated on time.
    • Stage IIIC
      The tumor in this type of breast cancer can be of any size and can spread to the lymph nodes at the back of the breast bone and arm underneath or to lymph nodes above or below the collar bone.

  • Stage IV

    This type of breast cancer is known as distant metastatic cancer. In this stage the caner has spread to the other parts of the patient’s body like the lungs, liver or bones.
    Recurrent or reoccurrence of breast cancer means that the tumor in the breast has relapsed when it was not detected. It could relapse in the chest wall or breast.

The stages of breast cancer can be described as follows:

  • If the patient is on stage 0, I, II, or some stage of III then it’s defined as early stage.
  • If the patient is on either stage III or IV then it’s defined as Stage IV.

The doctors determine the level of cancer by using staging system. The TNM staging system is the most common staging system. The cancer can be explained by three characters:

  • size (T denotes for tumor) which is further categories as TX, T0, Tis and T1-T4
  • lymph node involved (N denotes node) which is further categories as NX, N0 and N1- N3
  • whether it has relapsed or metastasized (M denotes metastasis) which is further categories as MX, M0 and M1

Once the T, N, and M are characterized, the pathologist combines them, this is known as stage grouping, and the overall stage is assigned.

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