Enter your Everyday Health log-in here:

E-Mail Address:
Forgot Your Password?
Ask Dr. Martee Hensley |

What Do "Stages" of Cancer Mean?

Different types of cancer can have different staging systems. For example, cancers of the blood (such as leukemia) and lymphatic system (lymphomas) are staged differently than cancers of "solid" organs, such as colon cancer, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer. There are different staging systems even among the solid cancers, but efforts have been made to standardize them. Most solid tumors are categorized into one of four stages. The lower the stage of the cancer, the lower the risk of recurrence and the greater the chance of survival.

Standard staging systems help oncologists determine prognosis (an estimate of the risks of recurrence or death from the cancer) and allow treatment recommendations to be tailored according to a patient's risk. As an example, here's a simplified version of breast cancer staging:

Stage I: The cancer is found only in the breast, and the tumor is under 2 centimeters in size. The lymph nodes on the same side as the breast cancer do not contain cancer cells.

Stage II: The cancer is more than 2 centimeters in size but not more than 5 centimeters, and the lymph nodes don't contain cancer cells, OR the cancer can be any size, but the lymph nodes on the same side as the breast cancer contain cancer cells. These lymph nodes are not, however, stuck to the surrounding tissue or matted together.

Stage III A: The breast cancer is more than 5 centimeters in size, OR the lymph nodes on the same side of the breast cancer contain cancer cells and are stuck to the surrounding tissue or matted together.

Stage III B: The breast cancer involves the skin of the breast or the chest, and/or the breast cancer is causing significant redness and thickening of the breast (this is called inflammatory breast cancer).

Stage IV: The breast cancer has spread beyond the breast, and its lymph nodes (internal mammary lymph nodes), and the armpit lymph nodes (axillary lymph nodes) and involves other, more distant, lymph nodes or other organs, such as the lung, liver, bone, or brain.

You should discuss the stage of your cancer with your oncologist. He or she can provide information about your prognosis and recommend the best treatments for your specific breast cancer type and stage.

Learn more in the Everyday Health Breast Cancer Center.

Last Updated: 05/20/2008

Leave a comment

More on Women's Health

Back to Top