When cells in our breast start to grow abnormally, it is refered to as breast cancer. Cancerous cells grow much more rapidly than healthy cells. Both men and women can suffer from this type of cancer but it's very rare in men. You must examine your body on regular basis and If you come across any changes in your breast size, appearance, skin color or discharge you must consult your doctor immediately. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it is an annual global campaign to raise awareness about the effect of breast cancer. To honour this special month, Onlymyhealth editorial team spoke to Dr. Mahesh Bandemegal, Surgical Oncologist, HCG Cancer Hospital, Bengaluru, about the stages of breast cancer.
Stages of breast cancer
Even if you feel that there is a formation of new lump in breasts you must immediately consult your oncologist. Survival rate of breast cancer patients has increased rapidly due to advancement in technology, awareness and early detection of the case. Treatment of various stages of cancer depends on the size, mobility and growth rate of cancer. To understand staging we must understand the TNM system of classification, it has three components - tumor size, nodes and metastases. As tumor advances in size, its interference increases in the nearby organs and it becomes more difficult to treat.
1. Stage 0
This is one of the earliest stages of breast cancer. In this stage usually the cancer is tooted and doesn't metastasize nearby organs. It is usually present in the milk ducts ans hasn't affected the fat tissues. There's no way that you can predict this.We also check whether it is responsive to hormones in our bodies, which determines the growth rate of cancer. This stage is known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).
2. Stage 1
In stage one the lumps can grow up to 2 cm, invasion in nearby tissues has not started yet, and even if it is invasive it is on microscopic levels. If cancer is diagnosed at stage 1 there are 99% chances that the patients life will not be at risk. You might notice a lump in your breasts if the cancer is lobular.
Also read: 7 Things A Breast Cancer Patient Must Know Before Taking COVID Vaccine
3. Stage 2
We categorise tumors in stage 2 when they are still growing but haven't metastasized organs yet, they are contained within breath tissues. The lump size can grow up to 2-5 cms, it might or might not involve lymph nodes. In stage 2 cancer becomes self diagnosable,at this stage cancer can be treated successfully in most cases.
4. Stage 3
We categorise tumors in stage 3 when the cancer starts to invade lymph nodes and muscles tissues. There are chances that that even small tumors become very active and metastasize up to 4-7 lymph nodes. In other cases the invasion might be minimal but the tumor size keeps growing rapidly. At this stage you might also notice development of ulcers, swelling and inflammation on breast skin.
5. Stage 4
Stage 4 cancers are usually not curable by this time the cancer has metastasized to organs like brain, bone lungs and liver. There are various treatments which can help you in increasing your life span. Various treatments are done so that the person live a better quality of life. With good care, support and right treatment, patients life can be extended up to several years.
Treatment options
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Breast Cancer can be very challenging for the patients physically as well as mentally. Treatment should ideally focus on mental health aspects too. Treatment depends upon a number of factors like patients age, medical history, stage of cancer, size and invasion of tumors in nearby organs. Depending upon the test results, a doctor might choose to treat you using chemotherapy/ radiation or removal of breasts completely.
It is true that we cannot always detect any such problems in our body, but we should be aware of the changes happening in our body. You must examine your body every once in a while, certain hormones which peak just before starting of your menstrual cycle. You can try examining your body after 5-7 days of starting of your periods so that you don't confuse them with fibrocystic changes in breasts. You should also visit your nearest doctor for routine body checkups if someone in your blood relations as a history of any sort of cancer.
It becomes very easy to defeat these disease if we detect them in early stages, because of advancement in technology. One must not give up and keep fighting against these diseases with positivity.