Cancer Information Tips :: Breast Cancer Stages
Breast Cancer Stages: Early Stages of Breast Cancer
In the U.S., over 90 percent of breast cancer diagnoses happen during the early breast cancer stages. Early detection is good news for the patient as it often translates to effective treatment. However, it's only a portion of the whole clinical picture.
Various characteristics, like lymph node engagement and receptor status, can help prognosticate outcome and aid in choosing a treatment selection, making them critical factors for survival.
Although breast cancer is on the rise in North America and the UK, the mortality rate is decreasing. This decline in mortality is credited to an increased number of women obtaining mammograms, improved evaluation techniques, and effective ancillary treatments.
So, if most cases of breast cancer are detected during the early stages, what does that mean and how can it be treated?
The Early Stages of Breast Cancer
Early breast cancer stages are referred to as TNM stages 1, 2 and 3a. This rating system gauges the advance of carcinoma. It also indicates that any tumors are operable.
Most instances of early-stage breast cancer are curable through surgery, radiation therapy or systemic therapy. The survival rate for patients diagnosed with early breast cancer have a 5-year success rate of over 75%.
Typical Treatment Response
Treatment response typically depends on lymph node involvement, the grade and size of tumors, estrogen and progesterone receptors, the status of biologic markers such as HER2/neu and the patient age.
Lymph Nodes
One of the most effective prognostic indicators for breast cancer are lymph nodes. As the number of positive lymph nodes increases, survival rates decrease and relapse rates increase. Typically, patients with early stage breast cancer are grouped into either those having negative nodes, 1 to 3 positive ones, 4 to 9, or 10 and higher.
Tumor Size
##
The Size of Tumor
Tumor size is another indicator and can be especially useful for patients with negative lymph nodes. Essentially, if a patient has negative nodes and tumor that is less than 1cm, the prognosis is very favorable.
Tumor Grade
As the grade of the tumor increases, so does the potential relapse rate. However, due to the unreliability of tumor data, most pathologists do not rely on this information for their prognosis.
Estrogen and Progesterone Receptors
The status of hormone receptors in the tumor is another indicator used by doctors when prognosing early stage breast cancer. Typically, patients who have a receptor-positive cancer have a stronger survival rate than those who do not.
HER2/neu
HER2/neu is a tumor marker that is expressed in approximately a quarter of all breast cancer cases. If its numbers are high, it's usually associated with a more aggressive form of breast cancer.
Age of the Patient
Concerning various breast cancer stages, typically, older patients (over the age of 50) have a stronger prognosis than younger patients (under the age of 35).
All Site Articles for Cancer Information Tips
Learn about alternative cancer treatments that could save your life with
Natural Cancer Treatments That Work
Order Online
24 Hours a Day
7 Days a Week
365 Days a Year!
Copyright 2008
CancerInfoTips.com :: Breast Cancer Stages