Stages of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is typically labeled in stages from I to IV, with IV being the most serious. In addition, those broad groups are based on a much more detailed system that includes specific information about the tumor and how it affects the rest of the body.

Furthermore, understanding the cancer stage is important for several reasons:

  • Treatment: The stage or progression of the disease is where making an educated treatment decision begins. Moreover, the doctors can decide on the best treatment options. 
  • Outlook: Furthermore, the recovery of patients will, in part, depend on how early the cancer is detected. In addition, the cancer stage provides an indication of potential outcomes.
  • Research: Additionally, researchers use the cancer staging information to gain a better understanding of the disease and to develop effective drugs.

Breast Cancer Stage 0

The earliest breast cancer stage is stage 0, also called carcinoma in situ. At stage 0, the breast mass is non-invasive, and there is no indication that tumor cells have spread to other parts of the breast or body. In addition, detecting Stage 0 breast cancer is difficult. Nevertheless, performing breast self-exams and undergoing routine screening remain important, as they can often lead to early diagnoses, when the cancer is most treatable.

There are two types of stage 0 breast cancer:

Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS)

Specifically, Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) occurs when breast cancer cells develop in the breast ducts. Moreover, DCIS can become invasive, so early treatment can be important.

Lobular Carcinoma in Situ (LCIS)

Abnormal cells develop in the lobules, leading to the occurrence of lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). Importantly, these cells are not cancerous, and this condition rarely progresses to invasive cancer. However, there may be an increased risk for patients who develop LCIS to eventually experience breast cancer. Specifically, for women diagnosed with LCIS, the likelihood of developing invasive cancer ranges from 20 percent to 25 percent over 15 years following the initial diagnosis.

Breast Cancer Stage I (Stage 1)

First, the earliest stage of invasive breast cancer is Stage 1. In Stage I, the tumor measures up to 2 cm and does not involve any lymph nodes. Moreover, at this stage, cancer cells have spread beyond the original location and into the surrounding breast tissue.

Consequently, the small size of a Stage I tumor can make it difficult to detect. Nevertheless, breast self-exams and routine screenings are always important and can often result in early diagnoses when the cancer is most treatable.

Following are two categories of Stage I breast cancer:

Firstly, Stage IA (Stage1A): The tumor measures 2 cm or smaller (about the size of a pea or shelled peanut) and has not spread outside the breast.

The survival rate for stage IA breast cancer may be slightly higher than for stage IB.

At stage I, TNM designations help describe the extent of the disease. For example, there may or may not be cancer cells in the lymph nodes, and the size of the tumor may range from 1 cm to 2 cm. 

  • T: T1, T2, T3 or T4, depending on the size and/or extent of the primary tumor
  • N0: Usually, cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes.
  • M0: The disease has not spread to other sites in the body.

Breast Cancer Stage II (Stage 2)

Stage II breast cancer is also known as invasive breast cancer, the tumor in stage II breast cancer the tumor measures between 2 cm to 5 cm, or the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm on the same side as the breast cancer. Stage II breast cancer indicates a slightly more advanced form of the disease. At this stage, the cancer cells have spread beyond the original location and into the surrounding breast tissue, and the tumor is larger than in stage I disease. However, stage II means the cancer has not spread to a distant part of the body.

At stage II, a tumor may be detected during a breast self-exam as a hard lump within the breast. Breast self-exams and routine screening are always important and can often lead to early diagnosis, when the cancer is most treatable.

Stage II breast cancer is divided into two categories:

Firstly, Stage IIA (Stage 2A) cancer is classified if one of the following is true:

  • There is no tumor within the breast, but cancer has spread to the axillary (underarm) lymph nodes, or
  • The tumor in the breast is 2 cm or smaller and cancer has spread to the axillary lymph nodes, or
  • The tumor in the breast measures 2 cm to 5 cm but cancer has not spread to the axillary lymph nodes.

Secondly, Stage IIB (Stage 2B) cancer is classified if one of the following is true:

  • The tumor measures 2 cm to 5 cm and cancer has spread to the axillary lymph nodes, or
  • Moreover, the tumor is larger than 5 cm but cancer has not spread to the axillary lymph nodes.

The survival rate for stage IIA breast cancer may be slightly higher than for stage IIB. 

At stage II, TNM designations help describe the extent of the disease. Moreover stage II breast cancer is described as:

  • T: T1, T2, T3 or T4, depending on the size and/or extent of the primary tumor
  • N1: Cancer has spread to the lymph nodes
  • M0: The disease has not spread to other sites in the body

Breast Cancer Stage III (Stage 3)

Stage III breast cancer is also known as locally advanced breast cancer, the tumor in the stage III breast cancer is more than 2 inches in diameter across and the cancer is extensive in the underarm lymph nodes or has spread to other lymph nodes or tissues near the breast. Stage III breast cancer is a more advanced form of invasive breast cancer. At this stage, the cancer cells have usually not spread to more distant sites in the body, but they are present in several axillary (underarm) lymph nodes. The tumor may also be quite large at this stage, possibly extending to the chest wall or the skin of the breast.

Stage III breast cancer is divided into three categories:

First, Stage IIIA (Stage 3A) cancer is classified if one of the following is true:

  • No tumor is found in the breast, but cancer is present in axillary lymph nodes that are attached to either other or other structures, or cancer may be found in the lymph nodes near the breast bone, or
  • The tumor is 2 cm or smaller. Cancer has spread to axillary lymph nodes that are attached to each other or other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breast bone, or
  • The tumor is 2 cm to 4 cm in size. Cancer has spread to axillary lymph nodes that are attached to each other or to other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breast bone, or
  • The tumor is larger than 5 cm. Cancer has spread to axillary lymph nodes that may be attached to each other or to other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breast bone.

Second, Stage IIIB (Stage 3B) cancer when the tumor may be any size, and the cancer:

  • Has spread to the chest wall and/or skin of the breast, and
  • May have spread to axillary lymph nodes or the bones.
  • Cancer that has spread to the skin of the breast is inflammatory breast cancer.

Third, Stage IIIC (Stage 3C):

  • There may be no sign of cancer in the breast or the tumor may be any size and may have spread to the chest wall and/or skin of the breast.
  • Moreover, cancer cells are present in lymph nodes above or below the collarbone.
  • Furthermore, cancer cells may have spread to axillary lymph nodes or lymph nodes near the breast bone.
  • Finally, cancer that has spread to the skin of the breast is inflammatory breast cancer.

Finally, Stage IIIC breast cancer may be operable or inoperable:

  • Operable stage IIIC: The cancer is found in 10 or more axillary lymph nodes, or is in lymph nodes below the collarbone, or is in axillary lymph nodes and lymph nodes near the breast bone.
  • Inoperable stage IIIC: The cancer has spread to the lymph nodes above the collarbone.

The survival rate for stage IIIA breast cancer may be slightly higher than for stage 3B, and the survival rate for stage IIIB may be slightly higher than for stage IIIC. However, all patients diagnosed with stage III breast cancer have several promising treatment options.

At stage III, TNM designations help describe the extent of the disease. Higher numbers indicate more extensive disease. Most commonly, stage III breast cancer is described as:

  • T: T1, T2, T3 or T4, depending on the size and/or extent of the primary tumor
  • N1: Cancer has spread to the lymph nodes
  • M0: The disease has not spread to other sites in the body

Breast Cancer Stage IV (Stage 4)

Stage IV breast cancer is also known as metastatic breast cancer, the cancer in this stage has spread beyond the breast, underarm and internal mammary lymph nodes to other parts of the body near to or distant from the breast. The cancer  has spread elsewhere in the body. 

At stage IV, TNM designations help describe the extent of the disease. Higher numbers indicate more extensive disease. Most commonly, stage IV breast cancer is described as:

  • T: T1, T2, T3 or T4, depending on the size and/or extent of the primary tumor
  • N1: Cancer has spread to the lymph nodes
  • M1: The disease has spread to other sites in the body

Recurrent Breast Cancer Types

There are three types of recurrent breast cancer:

Local recurrence is when the cancer has returned to the same location as the original cancer.

Regional recurrence is when the cancer has been found in or near the original location.

Distant recurrence is when the breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body. This is also considered metastatic breast cancer.

Metastatic Breast Cancer Types

Metastatic breast cancer, or distant recurrence, occurs when cancer cells have spread to distant organs and tissue in the body. Common metastatic areas include the bones, liver and lungs. Even when a metastatic breast tumor spreads to a different part of the body, it contains the same cancerous cells that developed in the breast and is still considered breast cancer.

Metastatic Breast Cancer Signs and symptoms may include:

  • Swelling or lumps in the lymph nodes
  • Unexplained pain in other areas of the body, such as the bone
  • Difficulty breathing or a persistent cough
  • Loss of appetite and/or weight loss
  • Severe headaches

Biospecimens

biospecimens

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Human biospecimens are available including cancer (tumor) tissue, cancer serum, cancer plasma, cancer peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). and human tissue samples from most other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and from normal healthy donors for controls, available in all formats and types.

In fact, our biobank procures and stores fully consented, de-identified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples, human biofluids such as serum samples, plasma samples from various diseases and matched controls.

Also, all our human tissue collections, human biospecimens and human biofluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.

In fact, this critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Additionally, researchers find the patient’s data associated with the human biospecimens extremely valuable and use it to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, as well as in other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and human biological samples, including fresh frozen human biospecimens cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

For example fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as human serum, human plasma and human PBMCs.

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Types of Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) and human biofluids from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

Moreover, we can also procure most human biospecimens and human biofluids, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples and human biofluids are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human biofluids such as  human plasma, human serum, and human PBMCs bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols; you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us.

Bay Biosciences also provides human biospecimens from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, Contact us Now.