How cancer comes?
Due to an amazing immune system, our bodies control cancer on a daily basis. But when the immune system is compromised, cancer can gain a foothold.
What if cancer was untreated in time?
They can go to four stages:
Stage 0 means the cancer is in one place
Stage 1 means a small tumor spread to nearby tissue.
Stage 2 means the tumor is larger and may have spread.
Stage 3 means the cancer may have started to spread to surrounding tissue or lymph nodes in the area
Stage 4 cancer, or metastatic cancer, means it has spread to other organs or areas of the body.
1. Stage 0: This is used to describe cancer in situ, which literally means “in place.” Cancers at this stage are identified according to the location where they initially emerged and multiplied. However, the resulting tumor has not yet spread to nearby tissue. The good news is prognosis for Stage 0 cancer is very high. Natural treatments couples with clean eating (no processed food), and taking steps to boost your immune system are often all that’s needed at this stage to reverse the cancer.
2. Stage 1: This describes a small cancerous tumor that has spread to nearby tissue but not beyond – such as the blood stream or lymph system. Doctors may refer to this as “early stage” cancer and insist on implementing immediate treatment protocol since, at this stage the prognosis is very good using traditional care. Nevertheless, complementary and alternative treatment options should be given top priority at this time as well as healthy changes to diet and personal habits to fight the cancer and prevent its return.
3. Stage 2 and 3: These stages are known as “regional spread” cancers. They indicate that the cancer has expanded and will have embedded itself more deeply into the surrounding tissue. At these stages, cancer cells have entered the blood stream which may lead to detection in the lymph system since cancer cells can get “caught” in the nodes as they travel. Boosting your immune system is crucial at this level since the invasion of your lymph system is likely to trigger an immune response which should in turn shut down the mutations. Stage 2 and 3 indicate a serious cause for concern, but the cancer has not spread to the other organs in the body, so there is still hope.
4. Stage 4: When cancer spreads from the initial site to other organs or areas of the body, it is referred to as “distant spread” cancer, advanced cancer, or metastatic cancer. This type of cancer is more difficult to treat, but not impossible! Attention to complementary modalities, alternative treatments, and healthy changes to your entire lifestyle from habits to diet is critical at this stage for a better chance of survival.
Due to an amazing immune system, our bodies control cancer on a daily basis. But when the immune system is compromised, cancer can gain a foothold.
What if cancer was untreated in time?
They can go to four stages:
Stage 0 means the cancer is in one place
Stage 1 means a small tumor spread to nearby tissue.
Stage 2 means the tumor is larger and may have spread.
Stage 3 means the cancer may have started to spread to surrounding tissue or lymph nodes in the area
Stage 4 cancer, or metastatic cancer, means it has spread to other organs or areas of the body.
1. Stage 0: This is used to describe cancer in situ, which literally means “in place.” Cancers at this stage are identified according to the location where they initially emerged and multiplied. However, the resulting tumor has not yet spread to nearby tissue. The good news is prognosis for Stage 0 cancer is very high. Natural treatments couples with clean eating (no processed food), and taking steps to boost your immune system are often all that’s needed at this stage to reverse the cancer.
2. Stage 1: This describes a small cancerous tumor that has spread to nearby tissue but not beyond – such as the blood stream or lymph system. Doctors may refer to this as “early stage” cancer and insist on implementing immediate treatment protocol since, at this stage the prognosis is very good using traditional care. Nevertheless, complementary and alternative treatment options should be given top priority at this time as well as healthy changes to diet and personal habits to fight the cancer and prevent its return.
3. Stage 2 and 3: These stages are known as “regional spread” cancers. They indicate that the cancer has expanded and will have embedded itself more deeply into the surrounding tissue. At these stages, cancer cells have entered the blood stream which may lead to detection in the lymph system since cancer cells can get “caught” in the nodes as they travel. Boosting your immune system is crucial at this level since the invasion of your lymph system is likely to trigger an immune response which should in turn shut down the mutations. Stage 2 and 3 indicate a serious cause for concern, but the cancer has not spread to the other organs in the body, so there is still hope.
4. Stage 4: When cancer spreads from the initial site to other organs or areas of the body, it is referred to as “distant spread” cancer, advanced cancer, or metastatic cancer. This type of cancer is more difficult to treat, but not impossible! Attention to complementary modalities, alternative treatments, and healthy changes to your entire lifestyle from habits to diet is critical at this stage for a better chance of survival.
Breast cancer staging
Pathologic staging (the standard way to stage breast cancer) is based on a pathologist’s study of the tumor tissue and any lymph nodes removed during surgery.
Sometimes, results from a health care provider’s physical exam and/or tests such as mammography may help with staging.
TNM system of staging
The most widely used method of staging breast cancer is the TNM system.
TNM stands for:
- T = Tumor size
- N = Lymph Node status (the number and location of lymph nodes with cancer)
- M = Metastases (whether or not the cancer has spread to other areas of the body)
In the past, tumor stage was classified with these 3 measures only. Starting in 2018, the TNM system added these measures:
Learn more about tumor size (T) and staging.
Learn more about lymph node status (N) and staging.
Learn more about metastases (M) and staging.
Why were new measures added to the staging system?
The new measures give specific information on the biology of the tumor that affects prognosis. Adding these measures improves staging.
For example, with breast cancer, a large tumor may have a better prognosis than a small tumor based on biological measures. In the same way, a small tumor may have a worse prognosis than a large tumor based on these measures.
What if I was diagnosed with breast cancer before 2018?
If you were diagnosed before 2018, your breast cancer was staged a bit differently than it would be today.
Find information on breast cancer staging before 2018.
Neoadjuvant therapy
If you will get neoadjuvant therapy (treatment, such as chemotherapy, before surgery), your breast cancer will be staged differently from someone who had surgery as a first treatment.
Neoadjuvant therapy can shrink tumors in the breast and/or lymph nodes, changing the original tumor size and lymph node status. So, your breast cancer is staged using information from physical exams, imaging and biopsies done before neoadjuvant therapy, rather than information from the tumor removed during surgery.
The stages shown in the table below are only used to classify breast cancers in people who have surgery as their first treatment.
Stages of breast cancer
The stages of breast cancer range from 0 to IV (0 to 4).
The highest stage (stage IV) is any cancer with metastases (M1), no matter the size of the tumor, the lymph node status or other factor.
Most often, the higher the stage of the cancer, the poorer the prognosis will be.
The table below lists the TNM classifications for each stage of breast cancer for people who have surgery as their first treatment.
| When TNM is... | And Grade is... | And HER2 Status is... | And ER Status is... | And PR Status is... | Then The Clinical Prognostic Stage Group is... |
Tis N0 M0
| Any | Any | Any | Any | 0 |
T1* N0 M0
T0 N1mi M0
T1* N1mi M0
| G1 | Positive | Positive | Positive | IA |
| Negative | IA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IA | |||
| Negative | IA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | Positive | IA | ||
| Negative | IA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IA | |||
| Negative | IA | ||||
| G2 | Positive | Positive | Positive | IA | |
| Negative | IA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IA | |||
| Negative | IA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | Positive | IA | ||
| Negative | IA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IA | |||
| Negative | IB | ||||
| G3 | Positive | Positive | Positive | IA | |
| Negative | IA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IA | |||
| Negative | IA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | Positive | IA | ||
| Negative | IA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IA | |||
| Negative | IB | ||||
T0 N1**M0
T1*N1**M0
T2 N0 M0
| G1 | Positive | Positive | Positive | IA |
| Negative | IB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IB | |||
| Negative | IIA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | Positive | IA | ||
| Negative | IB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IB | |||
| Negative | IIA | ||||
| G2 | Positive | Positive | Positive | IA | |
| Negative | IB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IB | |||
| Negative | IIA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | Positive | IA | ||
| Negative | IIA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIA | |||
| Negative | IIA | ||||
| G3 | Positive | Positive | Positive | IA | |
| Negative | IIA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIA | |||
| Negative | IIA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | Positive | IB | ||
| Negative | IIA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIA | |||
| Negative | IIA | ||||
T2 N1***M0
T3 N0 M0
| G1 | Positive | Positive | Positive | IA |
| Negative | IIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIB | |||
| Negative | IIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | Positive | IA | ||
| Negative | IIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIB | |||
| Negative | IIB | ||||
| G2 | Positive | Positive | Positive | IB | |
| Negative | IIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIB | |||
| Negative | IIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | Positive | IB | ||
| Negative | IIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIB | |||
| Negative | IIB | ||||
| G3 | Positive | Positive | Positive | IB | |
| Negative | IIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIB | |||
| Negative | IIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | Positive | IIA | ||
| Negative | IIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIB | |||
| Negative | IIIA | ||||
T0 N2 M0
T1* N2 M0
T2 N2 M0
T3 N1*** M0
T3 N2 M0
| G1 | Positive | Positive | Positive | IB |
| Negative | IIIA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIIA | |||
| Negative | IIIA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | Positive | IB | ||
| Negative | IIIA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIIA | |||
| Negative | IIIA | ||||
| G2 | Positive | Positive | Positive | IB | |
| Negative | IIIA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIIA | |||
| Negative | IIIA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | Positive | IB | ||
| Negative | IIIA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIIA | |||
| Negative | IIIB | ||||
| G3 | Positive | Positive | Positive | IIA | |
| Negative | IIIA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIIA | |||
| Negative | IIIA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | Positive | IIB | ||
| Negative | IIIA | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIIA | |||
| Negative | IIIC | ||||
T4 N0 M0
T4 N1*** M0
T4 N2 M0
Any T N3 M0
| G1 | Positive | Positive | Positive | IIIA |
| Negative | IIIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIIB | |||
| Negative | IIIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | Positive | IIIA | ||
| Negative | IIIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIIB | |||
| Negative | IIIB | ||||
| G2 | Positive | Positive | Positive | IIIA | |
| Negative | IIIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIIB | |||
| Negative | IIIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | Positive | IIIA | ||
| Negative | IIIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIIB | |||
| Negative | IIIC | ||||
| G3 | Positive | Positive | Positive | IIIB | |
| Negative | IIIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIIB | |||
| Negative | IIIB | ||||
| Negative | Positive | Positive | IIIB | ||
| Negative | IIIC | ||||
| Negative | Positive | IIIC | |||
| Negative | IIIC | ||||
| Any T Any N M1 | Any | Any | Any | Any | IV |
*T1 includes T1mi.
**N1 does not include N1mi. T1 N1mi M0 and T0 N1mi M0 cancers are included for prognostic staging with T1 N0 M0 cancers of the same prognostic factor status.
***N1 include N1mi. T2, T3 and T4 cancers and N1mi are included for prognostic staging with T2 N1, T3 N1 and T4 N1, respectively.
| |||||
Used with permission of the American College of Surgeons, Chicago, Illinois. The original source for this information is the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, Eighth Edition (2017) published by Springer International Publishing.
| |||||
