Stage II Breast Cancer
DMochelle Fashions Magazine September / October 2017
Stage II Breast Cancer
Stage II breast cancer indicates a slightly more advanced form of breast cancer . 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 .
Types of stage II breast cancer
Stage II is divided into two categories :
At stage IIA , 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 - 5 cm but cancer has not spread to the axillary lymph nodes At stage IIB , one of the following is true :
The tumor measures 2 - 5 cm and cancer has spread to the axillary lymph nodes , or 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 . However , all women with stage II breast cancer are considered to have a good prognosis .
TNM
At stage II , TNM designations help describe the extent of the disease . Most commonly , 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 diagnostics and treatment options
In this era of precision cancer care , identifying breast cancer treatment options that meet your needs requires expertise , and that starts with an accurate diagnosis . At Cancer Treatment Centers of America ® ( CTCA ), our clinicians understand that breast cancer is a complex disease , with multiple causes , types and treatment options . Because our doctors treat only cancer , they have the training and experience to diagnose and treat many breast cancer types , from triple-negative , inflammatory and metastatic to luminal , HER2-positive or others .
18