Stages Of Breast Cancer

The stages of breast cancer show how much the breast cancer has developed and spread within a women's body. In breast cancer stages, many things are involved, such as the size of the tumor, or whether the cancer has spread or is contained. A mastectomy, a lumpectomy, or the lymph nodes determines the breast cancer stages, rated by a professional medical expert, and these stages are divided into four states. On the average, most cancers of the breast do not go beyond the breast cancer stage one or two, and successful methods of treatment keep the breast cancer from going to the advanced breast cancer stages. The end stage breast cancer is seldom reached by the majority of women who have breast cancer.

The stage of breast cancer in a woman will be easier to cure if in stage 1 breast cancer or stage 2 breast cancer, where stage 1 breast cancer has the tumor no more than 2 centimeters across, and cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes in the armpit. Stage 2 is usually divided into two stages: (1) Stage 2A has a tumor less than 2 cm with cancer in the armpit lymph nodes but are not stuck to each other and the cancer has not spread, or the tumor is less than 5 cm, no cancer cells in the armpit lymph nodes, or there is no tumor is in the breast, cancer is in the lymph nodes, no cancer in the body; and (2) Stage 2B, where the tumor is less than 5 cm, with cancer in the armpit contain cancer but not stuck to each other, and the cancer has not spread, or the tumor less than 5 cm across, no cancer cells in the armpit lymph nodes, and the cancer has not spread. These stages of breast cancer are not as serious as the remaining two.

Stage 3 breast cancer is one of the final stages of breast cancer that is divided into three groups: Stage 3A refers to (1) no tumor visible in the breast, cancerous lymph nodes are in the armpit area and are stuck together, no sign of spreading cancer, or (2) the tumor is 5 cm or less, the armpit has cancerous lymph nodes that are stuck together, the cancer has not spread elsewhere, or (3) the tumor is more than 5 cm, armpit lymph nodes contain cancer and may be stuck together, no spreading of cancer; Stage 3B is when the tumor is fixed to the skin or chest wall while the lymph nodes do not necessarily have to be cancerous, and there is no further spreading of cancer; or Stage 3C is when the tumor can be of any size, is in the lymph nodes and under the breast bone, or it can be to the lymph nodes above or below the collarbone, with no further spreading. Breast cancer stage 3 is the final stage of cancer in the lymph nodes, with all three early stages having the tumors on the same side of breast as the lymph node involvement.

Stage 4 breast cancer is also called the secondary breast cancer, or metastic breast cancer. The tumor is not applicable in this stage, nor is the lymph node involvement. Other ways to research the stages of breast cancer is with terms such as stage iv breast cancer, breast cancer final stages progression, breast cancer stage survival rate, and breast cancer stage iv.