The stage of breast cancer is determined by the size of the tumor, whether or not the cancer is invasive (can spread to other parts of the breast), how many lymph nodes are affected, and whether it has spread to others parts of the body (metastasized).
- Stage 0 (carcinoma in situ): The tumor is non-invasive and has not spread to any other parts of the body. This stage includes ductal carcinoma in situ as well as Paget’s disease of the nipple, with no involvement of the surrounding breast tissue. Some doctors also include lobular carcinoma in situ as stage 0, but others don’t consider it a true cancer.
- Stage I: The tumor is small (about the size of a pea) and has not spread to lymph nodes or to other parts of the body.
- Stage II: The tumor is larger than stage I, but it has not spread to a part of the body other than the breast. The tumor itself may or may not have spread to the lymph nodes. Breast cancer can also be stage II if no actual tumor is found in the breast, but breast cancer cells are present in three or fewer of the axillary lymph nodes (those under the arm).
- Stage III: This stage is also called locally or regionally advanced breast cancer. The cancer has spread to lymph nodes under the arm or under the collarbone, which are both near the breast, but not to more distant parts of the body. All inflammatory breast cancer is classified as stage III.
- Stage IV (metastatic): This stage is breast cancer at its most advanced. Breast cancer cells are found in other areas of the body, such as organs, or in lymph nodes far away from the breast.
Learn more about breast cancer:
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