Breast Cancer Stages
Breast Cancer Stages: Breast cancer has seven stages. The treatment of breast cancer does not completely depend on the stage of the disease.Once breast cancer is tested, tests are done to find out if cancer cells are spread in the breast or in different parts of the body.
Key points:
Once breast cancer is tested, tests are done to find out if cancer cells are spread in the breast or in different parts of the body.
Cancer spreads in three different ways in the body.
Cancer can spread from where it started to different parts of the body.
The accompanying steps are used for breast cancer:
Stage 0 (carcinoma in situ)
Step I
Step II
Stage IIIA
Stage IIIB
Stage IIIC
Step IV
The treatment of breast cancer does not completely depend on the stage of the disease.
Once breast cancer is tested, tests are done to find out if cancer cells are spread in the breast or in different parts of the body.
The procedure used to see if the cancer is spreading within the breast or to different parts of the body is called organization. The data collected from the organization procedure determine the stage of the infection. It is essential to know the design phase of the treatment. The sequelae of some of the tests used to analyze breast cancer are also used to develop the disease. (Consult the general information area).
The accompanying tests and strategies could also be used in the organization procedure:
Biopsy of the sentinel lymphatic center: the evacuation of the sentinel lymphatic center during a medical procedure. The sentinel lymphatic center is the main lymphatic plaque for the lymphatic exudation of a tumor. It is the main lymphatic center to which the cancer will probably spread from the tumor. A radioactive substance and a blue color are infused near the tumor. The substance or color passes through the lymphatic channels to the lymphatic centers. The main lymphatic center to obtain the substance or color is expelled. A pathologist sees the tissue under a magnifying glass to look for cancer cells. If cancer cells are not discovered, it may not be important to expel more lymph centers.
X-ray box: an X-beam of organs and bones inside the chest. An x-ray ray is a kind of vitality body that can experience the body and the film, making an image of the internal regions of the body.
CT scan filter: technique that advances images point by point of territories within the body, taken from different edges. The photos are made by a PC connected to an X-ray machine. A color can be infused into a vein or ingested to encourage organs or tissues to appear more clearly. This technique is also called computerized tomography, computerized tomography, or automated computerized tomography.
Bone scan: a methodology to check if cells divide rapidly, for example, in cancer cells, in the bone. A small amount of radioactive material is infused into a vein and passes through the circulation system. The radioactive material accumulates in the bones with cancer and is identified by a scanner.
Positron emission tomography (positron emission tomography): a methodology to detect threatening tumor cells in the body. A small amount of radioactive glucose (sugar) is injected into a vein. The PET scanner rotates around the body and creates an image of where glucose is used in the body. The harmful tumor cells appear brighter in the photo because they are more dynamic and absorb more glucose than normal cells.
Cancer spreads in three different ways in the body.
Cancer can spread through the tissues, lymph structure and blood:
Cloth. Cancer spreads from where it started growing in adjacent territories.
Lymphatic framework Cancer spreads from where it started entering the lymphatic structure. Cancer travels through the lymphatic vessels to different parts of the body.
Blood. Cancer spreads from where it started entering the bloodstream. Cancer passes through the veins to different parts of the body.
Cancer can spread from where it started to different parts of the body.
When cancer spreads to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. The cancer cells are separated from their starting point (the essential tumor) and pass through the lymphatic structure or blood.
Lymphatic environment Cancer enters the lymphatic structure, passes through the lymphatic vessels and forms a tumor (metastatic tumor) in another part of the body.
Blood. Cancer enters the blood, passes through the veins and forms a tumor (metastatic tumor) in another part of the body.
A metastatic tumor is a kind of cancer indistinguishable from the essential tumor. For example, if breast cancer spreads deeply, bone cancer cells are actually breast cancer cells. The disease is metastatic breast cancer, not bone cancer.
The accompanying steps are used for breast cancer:
This segment describes the stages of breast cancer. The stage of breast cancer depends on the consequences of the tests performed on the tumor and lymph centers expelled during medical procedures and during various tests.
Stage 0 (carcinoma in situ)
There are 3 types of breast carcinoma in situ:
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a noninvasive condition in which foreign cells are found in the covering of a chest tube. The foreign cells did not spread out of the duct to different breast tissues. Occasionally, DCIS can cause intrusive cancer and spread to different tissues. Currently, there is no real way to know which wounds can be intrusive.
Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is a condition in which abnormal cells are found in the lobules of the breast. This condition causes only an invasive cancer from time to time. The IACS data is excluded from this scheme.
Paget’s disease of the areola is a disease characterized by the presence of irregular cells in the areola.
Step I
In stage I, the cancer took shape. Stage I is isolated in stages IA and IB.
In Stage IA, the tumor measures 2 centimeters or less. The cancer has not spread outside the breast.
In stage IB, there are few groups of breast cancer cells (more than 0.2 millimeters but not more than 2 millimeters) in the lymphatic centers and:
no tumor is found in the chest; or
the tumor is 2 centimeters or less
Step II
Stage II is divided into stages IIA and IIB.
In stage IIA:
no tumor is found in the breast or the tumor measures 2 centimeters or less. Cancer (more than 2 millimeters) is found in 1-3 axillary lymph centers or lymph centers near the sternum (in the middle of a sentinel lymph node biopsy); or
the tumor measures more than 2 centimeters but not more than 5 centimeters. The cancer has not spread to the lymphatic centers.
In stage IIB, the tumor is:
more than 2 centimeters but not more than 5 centimeters. There are few groups of breast cancer cells (more than 0.2 millimeters but not more than 2 millimeters) in the lymphatic plaques; or
more than 2 centimeters but not more than 5 centimeters. The cancer spread to 1 to 3 axillary lymphatic centers or lymphatic centers near the sternum (in the middle of a sentinel lymph node biopsy); or
more than 5 centimeters. The cancer has not spread to the lymphatic centers.
Stage IIIA
In phase IIIA:
no tumor is found in the breast or the tumor can be any size. The cancer is found in 4 to 9 axillary lymph centers or in the lymphatic centers near the sternum (in the middle of imaging tests or a physical examination); or
The tumor measures more than 5 centimeters. There are few groups of breast cancer cells (more than 0.2 millimeters but not more than 2 millimeters) in the lymphatic centers; or
The tumor measures more than 5 centimeters. The cancer spread to 1 to 3 axillary lymph centers or to lymph centers located near the sternum (in the middle of a sentinel lymph node biopsy).
In stage IIIB, the tumor can be any size and the cancer has spread to the chest separator and skin of the breast and has caused swelling or ulceration. Similarly, the cancer may have spread to:
up to 9 axillary lymph cubes; or
the lymphatic centers near the sternum.
Cancer that has spread to the skin of the breast can also cause breast cancer. See the segment on inflammatory breast cancer for more information.
Stage IIIC
In stage IIIC, no tumor is found in the breast or the tumor can be any size. The cancer may have spread to the skin of the breast and cause swelling or ulceration and spread to the breast separator. In addition, the cancer has spread to:
at least 10 axillary lymph centers; or
lymphatic centers above or below the clavicle; or
axillary lymph cubes and lymphatic plaques near the sternum.
Cancer that has spread to the skin of the breast can also cause breast cancer. See the segment on inflammatory breast cancer for more information.
Step IV
In stage IV, the cancer has spread to different organs of the body, usually bones, lungs, liver or mind.
The treatment of breast cancer does not completely depend on the stage of infection.
For treatment options for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), see ductal carcinoma in situ.
For treatment options for stage I, stage II, stage IIIA, and stage IIIC breast cancer, see Early, localized, or operative breast cancer.
For treatment options for stage IIIB breast cancer, inoperable and provocative stage IIIC, see locally advanced or inflammatory breast cancer.
To see the options for cancer treatments that have been repeated near the area where it was previously framed, see locoregional recurrent breast cancer.
To see treatment options for stage IV breast cancer or breast cancer that has been repeated in different parts of the body, see Metastatic breast cancer.