Doctors use the term
"stage"
to refer to the extent of cancer within the body. Knowing the stage of your
cancer can help you and your doctor determine your best treatment plan.
Early breast cancer
The term "early breast cancer" usually refers to stages of breast cancer
labeled 0, I, II, and IIIA.
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Stage 0. The cancer is considered non-invasive breast cancer. The cancer cells are present in either the
lining of a breast
lobule
or a
duct,
but they have not spread to the surrounding fatty tissue. This stage is also
called
ductal carcinoma
in situ,
or DCIS
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Stage I. The cancer has spread from
the lobules or ducts to nearby tissue in the breast. At this stage and beyond,
breast cancer is considered to be
invasive.
The tumor is 2 cm or less in
diameter
(approximately 1 inch or less); cancer has not
spread to the
lymph nodes
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Stage II. The tumor can range from 2 cm to less than
5 cm in diameter (approximately 1 to 2 inches); cancer may have spread to the
lymph nodes; or the tumor is larger than 5 cm, but has not spread to the lymph nodes
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Stage IIIA. The tumor is 5 cm or
greater in diameter (approximately 2 inches or greater), or the tumor may be of
any size where cancer cells have grown extensively into axillary (underarm)
lymph nodes
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Advanced breast cancer
The term "advanced breast cancer" typically includes breast cancer stages
IIIB/C and IV.
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In stage IIIB/C, known as locally advanced cancer, the
tumor may be of any size, but has spread into the skin of the breast or tissues
of the chest wall or to lymph nodes near the breastbone or above or below the collarbone on the same side of the body as the original tumor
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In stage IV, known as
metastatic
cancer, cancer has spread from the breast to other parts of the body, such as
bone, liver, lung, or brain
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A pathology report provides important information to help your doctor determine
your stage of breast cancer. Along with other factors, knowing the stage of
your breast cancer will help you and your doctor determine the treatment plan
that is right for you.