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Breast Cancer Stages and Survival Rates

Article Summary: Article reveals fact that 86% of women who develop breast cancer live for at least five years after diagnosis. Discuss the various stages of breast cancer and the survival rates depending on the stage where it was discovered.

Discovering that you have breast cancer can be a frightening prospect. Even when the cancer has not metastasized, 86% of women have about 5 years left to live. However, for many who discover the cancer early, the chances of survival are usually better.

As with most cancers, breast cancer, develops in stages. A standard classification of letters and numbers is used to describe the stages - T, N and M and 0-IV. The alphabet T denotes the size of the tumor while alphabet N denotes that it has spread to the lymph nodes and the alphabet M means distant metastasis. When a primary tumor spreads to another area/s and forms more tumors, it has metastasized.

When a tumor cannot be assessed, it is designated the classification of TX. Where there is no indication of cancer, T0 is used. If one of the following forms is suspected - DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ), LCIS (lobular carcinoma in situ) or Paget's disease (where the nipple and/or areola is cancerous) - Tis is used.

Stage 0 indicates that the cancer is in its earliest stage. Stage I indicates that tumors have not spread and are less than 2cm in size. A tumor that is 2-5cm in diameter is classified as Stage II, and a tumor larger than 5cm is considered Stage III. When a tumor has attached to the chest wall and spread to the lymph nodes it is considered to be Stage IV.

Today, due to medical advances, many breast cancers are diagnosed and treated during the early stages.

When treatment is given to patients who are at Stage 0 or 1, the survival rates are almost 100%. And yes, men can develop breast cancer, though at a far lower rate of 1/133 when compared to women. The survival rate for those with Stage II cancer is between 81%-92%. At Stage III the rate lowers to 67%, and then drops substantially to 20% at Stage IV.

Despite being a serious condition, breast cancer is now rarely life threatening. Even sufferers of later stage cancers often survive past seven years. As technology and medicine advance, survival rates increase. Even later stage cancer survival rates are rising as medical and treatment methods improve.

A fairly new method of diagnosing cancer is the QM-MSP (quantitative multiplex methylation-specific PCR) method. It was invented in 2001 and it involves tests done on fluids taken from the breast area. In this test, the chemical analysis can detect minute cancerous lumps that only contain 50 cells and has an 86% reliability. Treatment given in the early stages is highly effective, and new methods like this allow cancer to be diagnosed at the earliest possible stage.

Treatments are also improving, with hormone therapy, targeted radiation and molecule specific drugs now readily available.

Breast cancer is no longer the death sentence it used to be. While still serious, the odds of beating this disease are high, and treatments are far less invasive than in the past.

Article Source: http://www.upublish.info

About the Author:
Moses Wright
Moses Wright is a health conscious webmaster who is highly interested in breast cancer. He started this site to create more awareness and at the same time provide resources on Breast Cancer Radiation Treatment and How to Prevent Breast Cancer.