Breast Cancer Stages & Facts
Cancer Research & Cancer Statistics from U.S. Cancer Organizations
May 6, 2009
A staging system for breast cancer is a way to standardize how far the cancer has spread, according to The American Cancer Society. The staging system (author unknown) web article is titled, “How Is Breast Cancer Staged?” The article was last revised 03/02/2009.
According to the American Cancer Society article the most common staging system is by The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC). The system is named TNM (tumor-nodes-metastasis). The AJCC is comprised of organizations that are involved in “...cancer epidemiology, patient care, cancer control, cancer registration, professional education, research, and bio-statistics,” according to AJCC web site (author unknown) article titled, “What is the AJCC?” The article is dated 04/20/2009. The sponsoring organizations are:
- The American Cancer Society.
- The American College of Surgeons.
- The American Society of Clinical Oncology.
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- The National Cancer Institute.
Breast Cancer Facts About Breast Cancer Stages
“Staging is the process of determining how much cancer there is in the body...knowledge of the way cancer develops...and where it is located,” according to The American Joint Committee on Cancer article. The staging statistics are based on these common elements:
- Location of the original tumor.
- Number of tumors and size.
- Whether or not the original tumor has spread to nearby lymph nodes.
- Whether or not the cancer has spread to other parts of the body (metastasis).
“The TNM system classifies cancers based on their T, N, and M stages [categories],” according to The American Cancer Society article titled, “How Is Breast Cancer Staged?” The meaning of these primary categories are:
- T: size of tumor and how far it has spread in the breast and to nearby organs.
- N: Can be followed by numbers 0-4, indicating if the cancer has spread to lymph nodes near the breast and the number of affected lymph nodes.
- M: Followed by a 0 or 1 will indicate if the cancer has spread to distant organs.
Letters and numbers appearing after T, N, & M give more details about the cancer tumor, lymph nodes, and metastasis. The American Cancer Society article provides detailed information about the TNM system.
The cancer stage grouping is from stage 1 to 4. Within each stage T, N, & M may appear followed by numbers 0-4. The higher the stage number the shorter the average 5-year survival rate.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer
“Inflammatory breast cancer may be stage 3B, stage 3C, or stage 4,” according to The U. S. National Cancer Institute. The (author unknown) undated web page information can be accessed by typing “Inflammatory Breast Cancer” in their search box.
Inflammatory breast cancer is when cancer has spread to the breast skin. The breast will swell and the skin turns red, according to The U.S. National Cancer Institute. Lumps in the breast may or may not be felt. The redness in the breast is due to the cancer cells blocking the lymph vessels in the skin.
Stage IV Breast Cancer Survival Rate
“While survival statistics can sometimes be useful as a general guide, they may not accurately represent any one person’s [survival] prognosis,” according to The American Cancer Society article, “How Is Breast Cancer Staged?” Cancer statistics show that the “5-year relative survival rate” for stage 4 cancer is 20%.
The American Cancer Society advises that cancer statistics may or may not be accurate for any one individual. Other cancer risk factors for breast cancer causes must be considered. Their advice is to get breast cancer exams prior to any symptoms. If cancer is discovered the doctor can explain to the patient the test facts, and the stage before recommending treatment.
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