What Is Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer is the uncontrolled growth of healthy breast cells that turn into a tumor. It is recommended that women make a breast self-exam a part of their normal routine and monitor for signs of breast lumps or bumps since they are often the first symptoms to appear. Tumors can start in different areas of the breast, including the glands that produce breast milk, the ducts that transport milk to the nipple, and other tissues. The risk of breast cancer is increased by having a family history of the disease, including inherited gene mutations.

My Mammogram Results Came Back With An Irregularity. Does This Mean I Have Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer is one of those taboo subjects that people don’t normally want to talk about, so if and when you are advised that your mammogram has identified specific issues and that you might have breast cancer, it can be a worrying time. As with many things in life, uncertainty is sometimes the biggest challenge, and this is true when breast cancer occurs as well. Many people will immediately jump on the internet to complete their research, which is quite possibly how you have ended up on this site today.

How many stages of breast cancer are there?

After the initial breast cancer diagnosis, most patients want to know immediately what stage breast cancer they have. There are five acknowledged stages of breast cancer. When you speak to Doctor Gorman, she will explain to you the stage of your breast cancer.

Stage 0

Often referred to as ductal carcinoma in situ, this is the earliest breast cancer stage and means that some abnormal but non-invasive cells have been identified in the lining of the breast milk duct. There is no evidence that cancer has spread, and at this stage, the cancer is highly treatable. This is stage is often referred to as early-stage breast cancer or pre-cancer. Doctor Gorman will help you with a treatment plan.

Stage 1

This next stage is where, rather than abnormal cells, there is clear evidence of cancer cells being present. The good news is that, when diagnosis and breast cancer treatment are started quickly, success rates when dealing with stage 1 cancer are high with a positive outlook. Stage 1 is normally subdivided into 1A and 1B. 1A relates to a tumor size that is smaller than 2 centimeters with no evidence of a spread to the lymph nodes. 1B is when there is minimal evidence of a spread to the lymph nodes, but either there is no tumor in the breast tissue, or the size of the tumor is less than 2 centimeters.

Stage 2

If a patient is diagnosed with Stage 2 Cancer, then the cancer is growing; although at this stage the growth is contained to within the breast tissue or lymph nodes. Once again, there are subsections for stage 2 which relate to the size of any tumor, and whether or not there are signs of cancer cells in the lymph nodes. The treatment for Stage 2 cancer will, by its very nature, have to be more aggressive than for that of stage 1. However, provided breast cancer treatment is started early, the outlook is still positive with encouraging breast cancer survival rates.

Stage 3

A diagnosis of Stage 3 cancer means that cancer cells have now started to spread further than the local area of the tumor. It will not have started to affect other distant organs at this stage. This cancer is classified by many oncologists as being “advanced.” However, this is the stage at which the majority of recent treatment option developments have shown significant signs of progress. Some of the treatments involved may include chemotherapy and/or radiation. Depending on the severity of cancer, Stage 3 can be classified into two means of treatment. It might simply mean that the tumor first needs to be reduced with chemotherapy, and with a positive response to treatment, a breast cancer surgery operation is then considered further down the line.” It is always important to retain a positive outlook and see how well your cancer reacts to the treatment.