BeyondTheShock.com


Chapter 5 Types & Stages


Cancer is assessed by stages ranging from 0-4; each stage represents a progression of the cancer. As the complexity of the cancer intensifies, so does the treatment required to fight it. Breast cancer is assigned to a stage based on where it began in the breast and how much of the breast and other parts of the body are affected by it.


In this chapter, we will review the types of cancer, covering the more common types of breast cancer, as well as unusual diagnoses, such as triple negative breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer, and cancer during pregnancy.


Stages 0 & 1


Stage 0, DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma in Situ) is a nonin- vasive cancer in which abnormal cells have been found in the lining of the breast’s milk ducts. In Stage 1 invasive breast cancer, the tumor has not exceeded 2 cm (0.8 in). Although this cancer is considered to be invasive, it has not yet spread to surrounding lymph nodes or outside the breast tissue.


Stage 2


Stage 2 invasive breast cancer is divided into two categories, based upon the size of the tumor and whether or not the cancer has spread to the sur- rounding lymph nodes.


Stage 3


Stage 3 invasive breast cancer includes various types of cancer. It is primarily determined by the location and number of lymph nodes to which the cancer has spread, but it also can depend on the size of the tumor and whether the chest wall or skin have been affected.


Stage 4


Stage 4 is the most advanced stage of breast cancer because it has spread to other organs of the body. This is known as “metastatic cancer.”


www.beyondtheshock.com/learn/5/1 BeyondTheShock.com 9


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17