What Stage Is Grade 3 Breast Cancer

Can Dcis Be Left And Not Treated

Because theres no way of knowing when or if DCIS will become invasive, treatment is usually recommended. Its possible this may lead to unnecessary treatment for some people.

The aim of treatment is to remove all the DCIS from within the breast to reduce the chance of it becoming an invasive cancer.

Research is looking at which cases of DCIS are more likely to develop into invasive breast cancer and which could be closely monitored instead of being treated. If you are diagnosed with low-grade DCIS, you may be invited to join a;clinical trial.;

If you have any questions or concerns about your diagnosis and treatment, talk to your treatment team.

What Is The Life Expectancy For Stage 3 Breast Cancer

The life expectancy for people with breast cancer is improving, according to the American Cancer Society. It points out that current survival rates are based on people who were diagnosed and treated at least 5 years ago and treatments have advanced over that time.

Your life expectancy with stage 3 breast cancer depends on several factors, such as:

• your age
• the size of the tumors

You should talk with your doctor about how these factors may apply to you.

How To Find Support

You may be overwhelmed with organizations offering support, or you may be confused as to how to enroll or whether youre eligible. Though some of these support options happen outside of your care teams facility, speak openly with them about what kind of support you need and any questions to start.

Stay connected with your care team: They know you and they know the battle ahead. They also know which resources have been helpful for other patients, and which resources they may be able to offer. They know that factors such as stress, nutrition and sleeping problems affect your health. Theyre there to help you get what you need.

Lean on friends and family: Interactions with friends and family may be different when a cancer diagnosis is involved. Odds are that your support system wants to help, but theyll know the best ways to help if you tell them yourself. Dont be afraid to ask for what you need, whether its company on the ride to an appointment or help with household chores.

Look for support groups: If you have stage 3 cancer, youre joining a host of others who have walked a similar path. Youre not alone. Participating in a support group may help you feel more connected and understood. Both the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute have tools to help you find resources for cancer support in your area.

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What Is Stage 3 Breast Cancer

Also known as locally advanced breast cancer, the tumor in this stage of breast cancer is more than 2 inches in diameter across and the cancer is extensive in the underarm lymph nodes or has spread to other lymph nodes or tissues near the breast. Stage 3 breast cancer is a more advanced form of invasive breast cancer. At this stage, the cancer cells have usually not spread to more distant sites in the body, but they are present in several axillary lymph nodes. The tumor may also be quite large at this stage, possibly extending to the chest wall or the skin of the breast.

Stage 3 breast cancer is divided into three categories:

Stage 3A: One of the following is true:

• No tumor is found in the breast, but cancer is present in axillary lymph nodes that are attached to either other or other structures, or cancer may be found in the lymph nodes near the breast bone, or
• The tumor is 2 cm or smaller. Cancer has spread to axillary lymph nodes that are attached to each other or other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone, or
• The tumor is 2 cm to 4 cm in size. Cancer has spread to axillary lymph nodes that are attached to each other or to other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breast bone, or
• The tumor is larger than 5 cm. Cancer has spread to axillary lymph nodes that may be attached to each other or to other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone.

Stage 3C:

What Is Stage Iii Breast Cancer

In stage III breast cancer, the cancer has spread further into the breast or the tumor is a larger size than earlier stages. It is divided into three subcategories.

Stage IIIA is based on one of the following:

• With or without a tumor in the breast, cancer is found in four to nine nearby lymph nodes.
• A breast tumor is larger than 50 millimeters, and the cancer has spread to between one and three nearby lymph nodes.

In stage IIIB, a tumor has spread to the chest wall behind the breast. In addition, these factors contribute to assigning this stage:

• Cancer may also have spread to the skin, causing swelling or inflammation.
• It may have broken through the skin, causing an ulcerated area or wound.
• It may have spread to as many as nine underarm lymph nodes or to nodes near the breastbone.

In stage IIIC, there may be a tumor of any size in the breast, or no tumor present at all.;But either way,;the cancer has spread to one of the following places:

• ten or more underarm lymph nodes
• lymph nodes near the collarbone
• some underarm lymph nodes and lymph nodes near the breastbone
• the skin

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Staging And Grading Of Breast Cancer

Knowing the stage and grade of the cancer helps your doctors plan the best treatment for you.

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Your specialist doctor needs certain information about the cancer to advise you on the best treatment for you. This includes:

• the stage of the cancer
• the grade of the cancer
• whether the cancer has;receptors; for hormones or a protein called HER2.

This information comes from the results of all the tests you have had, including:

• the biopsy, when the tissue was examined
• other tests that were done on the cells.

Your specialist doctor and nurse will talk to you about this. They will explain how it helps you and your doctor decide on your treatment plan.

We understand that waiting to know the stage and grade of your cancer can be a worrying time. We’re here if you need someone to talk to. You can:

Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Stages

Invasive ductal carcinoma stages provide physicians with a uniform way to describe how far a patients cancer may have spread beyond its original location in a milk duct. This information can be helpful when evaluating treatment options, but it is not a prognostic indicator in and of itself. Many factors can influence a patients outcome, so the best source of information for understanding a breast cancer prognosis is always a physician who is familiar with the patients case.

In general, breast cancer stages are established based on three key variables: the size of a tumor, the extent of lymph node involvement and whether the cancer has spread to other areas of the body. This information may be obtained through a combination of clinical examinations, imaging studies, blood tests, lymph node removal and tissue samples . If, based on the initial test results, a physician believes that the cancer may have spread to other parts of the body, further testing may be ordered, such as a bone scan, positron emission tomography scan or liver function test.

Invasive ductal carcinoma is usually described through a numeric scale ranging from 1 to 4 . Specifically, the invasive ductal carcinoma stages are:

If youd like to learn more about invasive ductal carcinoma stages and treatment options, call or complete a new patient registration form online.

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Stage Iib Grade 3 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma With Lympnode Involvment

Breast Cancer Staging And Prognosis

Breast cancer staging describes how far the cancer has spread within the breast and other parts of the body. It is an important factor in making treatment decisions.

Breast cancer staging is based on tumour size, the extent that cancer has spread to other parts of the body and other clinical factors. Your doctor will assign a stage to your cancer after your physical exam, mammogram, and other diagnostic tests, such as a biopsy .

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Checking The Lymph Nodes

Before your;treatment;you have an ultrasound scan to check the lymph nodes in the armpit close to the breast. This is to see if they contain cancer cells. If breast cancer spreads, it usually first spreads to the lymph nodes close to the breast.

Depending on the results of your scan you might have:

• a sentinel lymph node biopsy during your breast cancer operation
• surgery to remove your lymph nodes

• Find out more about checking your lymph nodes and possible treatment to the lymph nodes

The Tnm System With Breast Cancer

The TNM System is a standard system for describing the extent of a cancer’s growth. It is the most common system used to stage breast cancer. The International Union Against Cancer and the American Joint Committee on Cancer developed it. Here’s what the letters stand for in the TNM System:

• T refers to the size of the tumor in the breast.
• N tells whether or not the lymph nodes in the area of the breast have become cancerous.
• M tells whether or not the cancer has spread to other organs in the body, such as your bones, liver, or lungs.

Numerical values, from 0 to 4, are assigned to the T, N, and M categories. Once your oncologist has determined your T, N, and M stages, this information is put together in what is called stage grouping, set by the American Joint Committee on Cancer . The AJCC stage grouping is used to determine your overall disease stage.

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Re: Any Her2 Positive Grade 3 People Out There

Hello Floss62

Well I haven’t been on here for; years, not quite sure how I made it here today!; I posted on this thread years ago – I’m 12 1/2 years on now, still fit and well.; In fact I got a PB at a half marathon yesterday!; If you only finished herceptin in August, you’re still in early days – I think it took more like six months to recover my energy after herceptin.; So please don’t despair, things will get better, just give yourself time.

How Grade Affects Treatment Options

Your treatment team will consider the grade of your cancer when deciding which treatment to offer you.;

If you have grade 3 breast cancer, youre more likely to be offered chemotherapy. This is to help destroy any cancer cells that may have spread as a result of the cancer being faster growing.;;

Chemotherapy is less likely for grade 1 and grade 2 cancers.;

The grade of your cancer alone will not determine what treatment youre offered. Your treatment team will consider the grade alongside all other information about your cancer when deciding on the best treatment options for you.

Find out more about breast cancer and prognosis.

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The Tnm System For Staging Breast Cancer

The AJCCs addition of the letters T, N, and M for anatomic breast cancer staging adds more information to a breast cancer diagnosis. Heres what they mean:

• T : The tumor grade shows a higher number for a larger size or density.
• N : Nodes refers to lymph nodes and uses the numerals 0 to 3 to give information about how many lymph nodes are involved in the cancer.
• M : This refers to how the cancer has spread beyond the breast and lymph nodes.

The AJCC also added clarifications in staging for ER, PR, and HER2 expression and also genetic information.

Ultimately, this means someone diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer can receive more information from their breast cancer staging than ever before.

No matter the stage, the best source of information about your individual outlook is your own oncology team.

Make sure you understand your breast cancer stage and subtype so that you can better understand treatment options and individual outlook.

Getting the right treatment and the support you need can help you navigate the challenges of being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.

How Often Does Stage 1 Breast Cancer Come Back After Treatment

If stage 1 cancer is treated comprehensively, it rarely comes back. A new, unrelated breast cancer is more likely to emerge after stage 1 breast cancer is treated than a recurrence. Your healthcare provider will recommend a surveillance schedule for you so that new breast cancer or a recurrence can be identified and treated as quickly as possible.

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What Is A Breast Cancers Grade

Cancer cells are given a grade when they are removed from the breast and checked in the lab. The grade is based on how much the cancer cells look like normal cells. The grade is used to help predict your outcome and to help figure out what treatments might work best.

A lower grade number usually means the cancer is slower-growing and less likely to spread.

A higher number means a faster-growing cancer thats more likely to spread.

How Is Breast Cancer Diagnosed

In some cases, a woman may discover a lump or may notice changes in the breast. A doctor will perform a physical exam to look for breast changes such as:

• A lump in the breast
• Changes in the size or shape of the breasts
• Dimpling skin on the breast
• Pulling in of a nipple
• Discoloration of breast skin

Tests used to confirm a diagnosis of breast cancer include:;

• Mammogram
• 3D tomosynthesis is a special new type of digital mammogram
• Breast magnetic resonance imaging
• Not usually used to screen for breast cancer but may be used in the following situations:
• Screening young women, especially those with dense breasts, who have an increased risk of breast cancer
• Screening for breast cancer in women diagnosed with cancer of the lymph nodes ;
• Screening of women with newly diagnosed breast cancer with extremely dense breasts on mammograms

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What Is Stage Iv Breast Cancer

Stage IV is the most advanced stage of breast cancer. It has spread to nearby lymph nodes and to distant parts of the body beyond the breast. This means it;possibly involves;your organs such as the lungs, liver, or brain or your bones.

Breast cancer may be stage IV when it is first diagnosed, or it can be a recurrence of a previous breast cancer that has spread.;

What Affects Prognosis

There are a number of factors that affect breast cancer prognosis. These include:

• the;type;of breast cancer
• the;grade;of the breast cancer
• the;size;of the breast cancer

For more information see our booklet;Understanding your pathology results;or visit our;pathology report;page.

Other factors that may affect your prognosis include your age, menopausal status , lifestyle factors and your general health.

All of these factors will be considered when estimating your prognosis and deciding what;treatment;youre offered.

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What Does Stage 3 Mean

Because stage 3 breast cancer has spread outside the breast, it can be harder to treat than earlier stage breast cancer, though that depends on a few factors.

With aggressive treatment, stage 3 breast cancer is curable; however, the risk that the cancer will grow back after treatment is high.

Doctors further divide stage 3 cancer into the following stages:

Life Expectancy By Stage

Even when divided by stage, its hard to determine life expectancy for someone with breast cancer because of the following:

• There are many types of breast cancer, and they vary in their level of aggressiveness. Some have targeted treatment, while others dont.
• Successful treatment may depend on age, other health problems, and treatments you choose.
• Survival rates are estimates based on people diagnosed years ago. Treatment is advancing quickly, so you may have a better life expectancy than people diagnosed even five years ago.

Thats why you shouldnt take general statistics to heart. Your doctor can give you a better idea of what to expect based on your personal health profile.

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program doesnt track breast cancer survival rates by type or in stages 0 to 4. A relative survival rate compares people with breast cancer to people in the general population.

Following are SEER based on women diagnosed between 2009 and 2015:

Your doctor will consider all this when recommending treatment. Most people need a combination of therapies.

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