What are the staging of breast cancer
Breast cancer has several stages, which are determined by the size of the tumor, the extent to which it has spread within the breast and nearby lymph nodes, and whether it has metastasized (spread) to other parts of the body. The stages are commonly denoted using Roman numerals from 0 to IV. Here is a brief overview of the stages:
Stage 0: Also known as carcinoma in situ, this is the earliest stage of breast cancer. It is non-invasive and the cancer cells are confined to the ducts or lobules of the breast.
Stage I: The tumor is small (less than 2 centimeters) and has not spread to the lymph nodes or distant sites.
Stage II: This stage is divided into two subgroups:
- Stage IIA: The tumor is still relatively small (less than 2 centimeters) but has spread to a few nearby lymph nodes or is larger (2-5 centimeters) and has not spread to the lymph nodes.
- Stage IIB: The tumor is larger (2-5 centimeters) and has also spread to a few nearby lymph nodes, or it is larger than 5 centimeters but has not spread to the lymph nodes.
Stage III: This stage is further divided into three subgroups:
- Stage IIIA: The tumor may be any size, and there are cancer cells in 4-9 nearby lymph nodes, or the tumor may be larger than 5 centimeters and have spread to 1-3 nearby lymph nodes.
- Stage IIIB: The cancer may have spread to the skin of the breast, causing ulceration or inflammation, or it may have spread to more than 9 nearby lymph nodes.
- Stage IIIC: The cancer has spread to lymph nodes above or below the collarbone or to lymph nodes on the opposite side of the breast, or it may have spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone.
Stage IV: This is the most advanced stage, where the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, such as the bones, liver, lungs, or brain.
It is important to note that the specific staging of breast cancer varies depending on the individual case, and other factors, such as hormone receptor status, HER2/neu status, and tumor grade, may also be taken into consideration.