DMochelle Fashions Magazine
September/October 2017
Stage I Breast Cancer
Stage I breast cancer is the earliest stage of invasive breast cancer.
At this stage, the cancer cells have spread beyond the original
location and into the surrounding breast tissue.
Because a stage I tumor is small, it may be difficult to detect. However,
breast self-exams and routine screening are always important and can
often lead to early diagnosis, when the cancer is most treatable.
Types of stage I breast cancer
Stage I is divided into two categories:
Stage IA: The tumor measures 2 cm or
smaller (about the size of a pea or
shelled peanut), and has not spread
outside the breast.
Stage IB: Small clusters of cancer cells
measuring no more than 2 mm, are found in the lymph nodes, and either
there is no tumor inside the breast, or the tumor is small, measuring 2
cm or less.
The survival rate for stage IA breast cancer may be slightly higher than
for stage IB. However, all women with stage I breast cancer are
considered to have a good prognosis.
TNM
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 - 2 cm. Most commonly,
stage I breast cancer is described as:
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
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