Stage 0 Breast Cancer Symptoms

To determine the survival and choosing the treatment, an internationally standardized system ( "TNM" system) was used to classify the cancer in stages ( "staging").
This system is based on:

• the size of the tumor and spread to the skin or chest wall under the breast, denoted by the letter T (with a value between 0 and 4);
• the spread of the cancer cells to the lymph nodes, and - if there is degradation is - the determination of whether the affected lymph nodes are attached to each other or other structures under the arm, indicated by the letter N (having a value between 0 and 3);
• the spread of cancer cells to other parts of the body designated by the letter M (metastasis, with a value of 0 or 1).

If the TNM values of a patient are determined, this information is bundled together to determine the stage of cancer. The stage is indicated by a Roman numeral ranging from Stage 0 (the least serious or earliest stage) to Stage IV (the most serious or most advanced stage).

Stage 0 Breast Cancer 

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the earliest form of ductal breast cancer. In DCIS are only cancer cells in the milk duct.

Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is sometimes classified as a Stage 0 cancer, but according to many oncologists do not this is a real breast. In lobular carcinoma in situ, grow spread abnormal cells in the lobules, without being outside the boundaries of the mammary glands. Most researchers assume that LCIS in most cases will not develop into an invasive cancer, but women with this disease have an increased risk of later developing an invasive breast cancer in the same or opposite breast. These later cancer can be either of the invasive ductal and invasive lobular of the type.

Stage I Breast Cancer 

The diameter of the tumor is less than 2 cm, and the cancer has not spread outside the breast.

Stage II Breast Cancer 

The diameter of the tumor is larger than 2 cm and / or the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in the armpit. In stage II breast cancer in the affected lymph nodes are not fixed to one another or to the surrounding structures.

Stage II is further divided into IIA and IIB.

Stage III Breast Cancer 

The diameter of the tumor is greater than 5 cm and / or has spread to lymph nodes that are attached to each other or to surrounding structures.
Breast cancers with any of the tumor size that have spread to the skin, the chest wall, or the interior of the breast lymph nodes (located under the breast and in the chest) are also classified in stage III.
In the case of Stage III, the cancer has not spread to other organs, bones, or lymph nodes that are not located in the vicinity of the breast.

Stage III is further subdivided into IIIA and IIIB.

Stage IV Breast Cancer 

The cancer - of all sizes - has spread to other organs such as the bones, lungs or the lymph nodes that are not in the vicinity of the breast (eg, above the collar bone).


Prognosis (survival rate after 5 years)

The chance of recovery depends on many things:. Stage which finds disease, the age of the patient, the size of the tumor, whether there are or not metastases, treatment etc. The physician can more explanation give all these factors.
The average survival after five years, hovering around 80%. The likelihood of prolonged survival increases as the disease was detected at an earlier stage.
This percentage indicates the number of patients, 100 are still alive five years after diagnosis.

• Stage 0 --- 100%
• Stage I ----- 98%
• Stage IIA --- 88%
• Stage IIB --- 76%
• Stage IIIA --- 56%
• Stage IIIB --- 49%
• Stage IV ---- 16%

However, these are not the only elements which are relevant. There are several prognostic models for establishing a prognosis. These models are based on studies in which one has looked at how different patients continue to evolve, taking into account their diagnosis.
The factors which holds a model into account, are quite different from each other. As one model into account the age at diagnosis, the other model does not hold.