What happens at each stage of breast cancer?

Breast cancer stages aim to describe how far cancer has progressed. The stage will affect the different symptoms and treatment options. Doctors use various ways to stage breast cancer. Four broad stages define where the cancer is, whether it is still in its original location or if it has spread to other parts of the body. However, a doctor will also use other systems and information to identify the stage and decide which treatment is most suitable and what the outlook is likely to be. It is worth noting that the stage is not the only factor that affects treatment and other decisions. Other considerations include markers such as hormone receptivity, the cancer grade, the type, the person’s overall health, and so on. Each case will be different. However, a doctor can help the individual understand how cancer will affect them and what to expect. The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) oversees the staging of breast cancer. As a result, all cancer doctors describe and classify the stages of cancer in the same way. AJCC’s staging is the most commonly used method for breast cancer and allows all doctors to describe, classify, and stage cancer in the same way. It involves two systems: pathological staging and clinical staging. BEZZY COMMUNITY Shared Breast Cancer Stories and More Tap into community conversations discussing breast cancer diagnoses, backed by our powerful BC community. Bezzy BC: empowered by each other. Identifying the stage Iru Meladze/EyeEm/Getty Images One way to identify the stage is to look at body tissue and see how far cancer cells have spread. This gives the following broad stages: In situ: There is a change in cells that could become cancerous and invade other tissue over time. Localized: A tumor is present but has not spread. Regional: Cancer has spread beyond the original location to nearby lymph nodes. Distant or metastatic: Cancer has spread to other parts of the body and other organs beyond the original location. However, this description alone does not reflect the complexities of breast cancer. For this reason, doctors also use other methods and other informationTrusted Source. TNM staging Crucial to breast cancer staging is the TNM system. The letters TNM mean the following: T = tumor: This indicates the extent or size of the tumor and how much breast tissue it involves. N = nodes: This shows whether cancer has spread to the lymph nodes and how many it has affected. M = metastasis: This is when cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as distant organs, tissues, and the bones. The TNM staging system also uses numbersTrusted Source. The numbers, from 0 to 4, describe the stage, and information from the TNM staging helps determine the number. Other factors affecting treatment options and outlook are the status and grade. Tumor status A doctor will use test results showing the presence and absence of specific biomarkers to assess the tumor status. They will ask one or more of the following questions while reviewing the results: Are there estrogen-receptor proteins (Is is ER+ or ER-)? Are there progesterone receptor proteins (Is it PR+ or PR-)? Does it produce high levels of a protein HER2 (Is it HER2+ or HER2-)? Is it triple negative, in other words, EE-, PR- and HER2-? What genetic patternsTrusted Source show up if genetic testing is done? Cancer grading The grade indicates how fast cancer is likely to grow and to what extent they look like normal cells. It can be: Grade 1 or low grade: The cells look similar to healthy tissue and will likely grow slowly. Grade 2 or intermediate grade: The cells looks somewhat different and will likely grow at a moderate rate. Grade 3 or high grade: The cells look very different and may be fast growing. Diagnostic tests To determine the stage, a doctor may perform tests, including: a physical examination blood tests biopsies CT and PET scans MRI X-rays, including a mammogram ultrasounds It is also worth noting that, while initial tests can help stage and grade cancer, the doctor may need to revise their decision as more information becomes available. Lab tests on a tumor after surgery, for example, may provide information that is different from the results of a biopsy because there is more tissue to analyze.