Breast Cancer Stage Classifications and Information

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Stages of Breast Cancer

Once breast cancer has been found, more tests will be done to find out if the cancer has spread from the breast to other parts of the body. This is called staging. To plan treatment, a doctor needs to know the stage of the disease. The following stages are used for breast cancer.

Stage 0 (Carcinoma in situ)

About 15% to 20% of breast cancers are very early cancers. They are sometimes called carcinoma in situ. There are two types of breast cancer in situ. One type is ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS; also known as intraductal carcinoma); the other type is lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). LCIS is not cancer, but for the purpose of classifying the disease, it is called breast cancer in situ, carcinoma in situ, or stage 0 breast cancer. Sometimes LCIS is found when a biopsy is done for another lump or abnormality found on the mammogram. Patients with this condition have a 25% chance of developing breast cancer in either breast in the next 25 years.

Stage I

The cancer is no larger than 2 centimeters (about 1 inch) and has not spread outside the breast.

Stage II

Stage II is divided into stages IIA and IIB.

Stage IIA is defined by either of the following:

The cancer is no larger than 2 centimeters but has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm (the axillary lymph nodes).

The cancer is between 2 and 5 centimeters (from 1 to 2 inches), but has not spread to the lymph nodes under the arm.

Stage IIB is defined by either of the following:

The cancer is between 2 and 5 centimeters (from 1 to 2 inches), and has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm.

The cancer is larger than 5 centimeters (larger than 2 inches), but has not spread to the lymph nodes under the arm.

Stage III

Stage III is divided into stages IIIA and IIIB.

Stage IIIA is defined by either of the following:

The cancer is smaller than 5 centimeters and has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm, and the lymph nodes are attached to each other or to other structures.

The cancer is larger than 5 centimeters and has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm.

Stage IIIB is defined by either of the following:

The cancer has spread to tissues near the breast (skin or chest wall, including the ribs and the muscles in the chest).

The cancer has spread to lymph nodes inside the chest wall along the breast bone.

Stage IV

The cancer has spread to other organs of the body, most often the bones, lungs, liver, or brain. Or, tumor has spread locally to the skin and lymph nodes inside the neck, near the collarbone.



		*Facts and Figures*
	▪ 1 out of 9 women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. ▪ Breast cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death for all women and the leading cause of death in women ages 40-55. ▪ About 85% of women whose breast cancer is detected before it has spread to the axillary nodes will survive at least 5 years. ▪ Delay in diagnosis of breast cancer is the #1 basis for medical malpractice lawsuits in the U.S.

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