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Breast Cancer Stages
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Breast cancer is a disease that
occurs in stages. The sooner that you can diagnose breast cancer,
the better chance you have of making a full recovery. Consequently,
those who wait and don’t address the problem stand a much higher
risk of death from this disease. For this article, we’ll be talking
about the various stages that the disease goes through as the cancer
grows.
There are 4
stages of breast cancer, and there is also a ‘zero’ stage. The zero
stage occurs when abnormal cells have appeared inside the linings of
the breast ducts. These cells have not yet spread outside of the
duct and to the other breast tissues. |
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While they represent
a chance of getting breast cancer, being in stage zero does not mean that a
person will develop breast cancer. It is merely a precursor to what MAY
result in breast cancer.
In stage one of breast cancer, there is a tumor
present. This stage is reached when a tumor has developed that is under 2
centimeters in size, or roughly the size of a peanut or smaller. The tumor
also exists only inside the breast, and has not spread to other parts of the
body.
Stage two of breast cancer is grouped into two
subcategories: stage two-a and stage two-b. In stage two of breast cancer,
there are several different possibilities. The first is that there is no
cancer present inside the breast. However, these stage two-a sufferers have
a cancer present in the axillary lymph nodes which are located underneath
the arm. The other type of breast cancer that can occur in stage two-a are
tumors that are in between the size constraints of two and five centimeters
which have not yet spread to the axillary lymph nodes. Stage two-b breast
cancer denotes a stage two-a condition that has worsened. In the case of
tumors that are found in the axillary lymph nodes, the cancer has grown to a
size larger than two centimeters yet smaller than five centimeters. In those
stage two cases which develop purely inside the breast, stage two-b
represents a tumor that has grown in size to be larger than five centimeters
but still has not spread outside of the breast. A tumor around the size of
five centimeters can be roughly estimated by looking at an average sized
lime.
Stage three
represents one of the most significant risks associated with breast cancer;
the spreading of the disease throughout the body. In stage three-a, tumors
that are present in the axillary lymph nodes have attached themselves to
other entities in the body, increasing the risk of a spread. In cancers
found in the breast, stage three-a represents a connection between the
five-centimeter-or-smaller tumor and the axillary lymph nodes. Also, tumors
that are five centimeters or above that have spread to the lymph nodes fall
into this category. In stage three-b, the cancerous tumor that is present
could be of any size; this stage is denoted by the cancer spreading to
tissues outside of the breast, such as the skin, the ribs, or muscles around
the chest. Also, the cancer may have spread to lymph nodes that are present
underneath the arm. In addition to stages three-a and three-b, there is also
a three-c.
When stage three-c is present, doctors
need to diagnose whether or not it is even operable.
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In this stage the cancer has
spread to lymph nodes located near the neck and collarbone or other
tissues near the breast. When the lymph nodes that are located ABOVE
the neck are affected, the cancer is said to be inoperable. Operable
stage three-c cases are denoted by the cancer spreading to lymph
nodes present that are lower than the neck and collarbone.
Stage four breast cancer
represents a full spreading of the cancer to the other organs of the
body, including the bones, liver, lungs, or the brain. As you can
now see, it is important to diagnose breast cancer as early as
possible to increase your chance of survival. |
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