What is stage 2 breast cancer

Knowing the stage of cancer a person has helps healthcare professionals determine which treatment plan may be most effective for them. Healthcare professionals categorize stage 2 breast cancer into two groups: stage 2A and 2B.

These are based on tumor size and whether or not the lymph nodes are involved. In addition to using the numerical stage classifications, healthcare professionals also describe tumors using the tumor, node, metastasis TNM staging system. In this system , T describes tumor size, N describes the presence of cancer cells in the lymph nodes, and M describes whether or not the cancer has spread to other areas of the body.

Since , healthcare professionals have added new cancer characteristics to the TNM staging system that may help guide treatment. These include:. Stage 2A breast cancer typically describes one of the following scenarios:.

According to the TNM staging system, stage 2A breast cancer equates to one of the following combinations:. Stage 2B breast cancer typically describes one of the following scenarios:.

Healthcare professionals recommend chemotherapy in some types of stage 2 breast cancer. It is generally a mixture of medications that travel throughout the bloodstream and destroy the cancer cells. A person may receive chemotherapy after or before surgery. They may receive chemotherapy before surgery to help reduce the size or extent of the cancer. Surgery for stage 2 breast cancer involves the surgical removal of any tumors or lymph nodes that contain cancer cells.

Options may include removing only the breast tissue that is affected while conserving healthy breast tissue lumpectomy rather than removing the entire breast mastectomy.

With either surgery, a specialist will test the lymph nodes to see whether or not they contain cancer cells. Radiation therapy involves using high energy rays to destroy cancer cells in specific areas of the body.

Healthcare professionals frequently use radiation therapy after lumpectomy to destroy cancer cells that may remain after the surgical procedure. They may also use radiation therapy after mastectomy if the person has certain risk factors for local recurrence. Healthcare professionals may use hormone blocking therapy to treat stage 2 breast cancer that is HR-positive. Hormone blocking therapies consist of medications that either block estrogen and progesterone from binding to cancer cells tamoxifen or decrease the amount of estrogen in the body aromatase inhibitors.

Medical oncologist Brian Wojciechowski, M. D, explains the T, N, and M parts of the staging system, how the new characteristics added to the staging system affect a cancer's stage, and how a breast cancer that might have been IIIA in the past might now be IB.

Stage 0 is used to describe non-invasive breast cancers, such as DCIS ductal carcinoma in situ. In stage 0, there is no evidence of cancer cells or non-cancerous abnormal cells breaking out of the part of the breast in which they started, or getting through to or invading neighboring normal tissue.

Learn about what treatments you can generally expect for stage 0 in the Options by Cancer Stage: Stage 0 page in Planning Your Treatment. Stage I describes invasive breast cancer cancer cells are breaking through to or invading normal surrounding breast tissue Stage I is divided into subcategories known as IA and IB.

Still, if the cancer is estrogen-receptor-positive or progesterone-receptor-positive, it is likely to be classified as stage IA. Microscopic invasion is possible in stage I breast cancer. In microscopic invasion, the cancer cells have just started to invade the tissue outside the lining of the duct or lobule, but the invading cancer cells can't measure more than 1 mm. Inflammatory breast cancer is considered at least stage IIIB. Typical features of inflammatory breast cancer include:.

Stage IV describes invasive breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes to other organs of the body, such as the lungs, distant lymph nodes, skin, bones, liver, or brain. The N lymph node involvement category describes whether or not the cancer has reached nearby lymph nodes:. The M metastasis category tells whether or not there is evidence that the cancer has traveled to other parts of the body:. Create a profile for better recommendations.

Breast implant illness BII is a term that some women and doctors use to refer to a wide range Systemic cancer therapy: achievements and challenges that lie ahead. Front Pharmacol. Published May 7. A dding hormonal therapy to chemotherapy and trastuzumab improves prognosis in patients with hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive primary breast cancer.

Published Feb PMID: Heller L, Miller MJ. Patient education and decision making in breast reconstruction. Semin Plast Surg. Survival rates of breast cancer and predictive factors: a hospital-based study from western Amazon area in Brazil. Cien Saude Colet. Bodai BI, Tuso P.

Breast cancer survivorship: a comprehensive review of long-term medical issues and lifestyle recommendations. Perm J. Practical consensus recommendations on duration of adjuvant hormonal therapy in breast cancer.

South Asian J Cancer. The science and practice of bone health in oncology: managing bone loss and metastasis in patients with solid tumors. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. Diagnosis of second breast cancer events after initial diagnosis of early stage breast cancer. Patterns of cancer centre follow-up care for survivors of breast, colorectal, gynecologic, and prostate cancer. Curr Oncol. Depression and family support in breast cancer patients. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat.

Published Sep Till JE. Evaluation of support groups for women with breast cancer: importance of the navigator role. Health Qual Life Outcomes. Published May 1. Hagan TL, Medberry E. Patient Education vs. J Cancer Educ. Tumor growth rate of invasive breast cancers during wait times for surgery assessed by ultrasonography.

Medicine Baltimore. Carlson RW. Chapter Surveillance of patients following primary therapy. Diseases of the Breast, 5th edition. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd. National Cancer Institute US. Published October 11, Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth.

At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. Survival Rates. Follow-Up Care.