What Is Stage Two Breast Cancer? ~ Breast Cancer

While the incidence of breast cancer has been rising, the overall mortality rate has been slowly declining. When someone receives a diagnosis of breast cancer, one of the most important things the surgeon will do is stage the disease. The staging is how medical professionals figure out if the cancer has spread, and if so, to where. This is done by gathering information from the physical exam of the patient, surgical findings, X-rays and lab tests. Breast cancer stages are numbered Stage I through Stage IV (with IV being the most advanced), and in each stage, there are subcategories.

To stage breast cancer, an oncologist will use the staging system set out by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), which uses the TNM classification. This looks at the tumor (T), any lymph node involvement (N), and whether or not it has metastasized to other parts of the body (M). The stage of the disease helps to determine the direction and course of treatment, as well as help to give a general prognosis.

Stage II breast cancer, while not the earliest stage, is still described as an early stage of breast cancer. In this stage, the cancer has gone beyond the lobe or the duct it started in, and has gone into breast tissue that is close by. There are two subcategories of Stage II breast cancer, which are broken down into further detail below. Overall, for Stage II breast cancer, the five year survival rate is 83 percent, and the 10 year survival rate is 66 percent.

Stage II breast cancer can be classified as either Stage IIA or Stage IIB. The following explains further:

Stage IIA:
- no tumor is found in the breast, but breast cancer cells were found in the lymph nodes under the arm OR
- the tumor is 2 cm or less and has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm OR
- the tumor is larger than 2 cm but less than 5 cm and has not been found in the lymph nodes under the arm

Stage IIB:
- the tumor is larger than 2 cm but less than 5 cm and has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm OR
- the tumor is larger than 5 cm but has not spread to the lymph nodes under the arm

For early stage breast cancer (Stages I and II), lumpectomy (also called breast-conserving surgery or BCT) followed by radiation therapy, and mastectomy (with or without reconstruction) has shown comparable rates of survival and local control of the disease. The decision about which surgical route to take can depend on the size and placement of the tumor, breast size, patient wishes and possible contraindications to BCT. If the patient chooses BCT, radiation is often given afterward. Depending on patient characteristics and the possibility of distant micrometastases, which can possibly grow into metastatic cancer, sometimes chemotherapy is also given after surgery. Chemotherapy has been shown to benefit patients with early-stage breast cancers.

Stage II breast cancer is still early-stage disease, but it is important to discuss all aspects of the disease with your oncologist, such as hormone receptor status, menopausal status, family history and personal preferences. Depending on the surgical findings, lab findings and the doctor's past experiences, different courses of treatment might be suggested for different patients. There is no "one size fits all" treatment plan, and your doctor will work with you to find the best path for you.

Breastcancer.org - Breast Cancer Information and Awareness
www.breastcancer.org
Breastcancer.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the most reliable, complete, and up-to-date information about breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool
www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool
An interactive tool designed by scientists at the National Cancer Institute and the NSABP to estimate a woman's risk of developing invasive breast cancer.
Cancer Articles - Find Cancer Related Articles on ArticlesBase.com
www.articlesbase.com Health
Find Cancer articles at ArticlesBase.com a free articles directory. Submit your articles for free distribution and find Cancer content for your website, Ezine or ...
gracefulwomanwarrior Navigating my way through stage 4 breast ...
gracefulwomanwarrior.com
Navigating my way through stage 4 breast cancer, marriage, and parenthood one day at a time...
Cancer staging - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_staging
Cancer staging is the process of determining the extent to which a cancer has developed by spreading. Contemporary practice is to assign a number from I-IV to a ...
Information, Awareness & Donations - National Breast Cancer
www.nationalbreastcancer.org
The National Breast Cancer Foundation's mission is to save lives by increasing awareness of breast cancer through education and by providing mammograms for
BRCA1 & BRCA2: Cancer Risk & Genetic Testing - National Cancer ...
www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/BRCA
Key Points. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are human genes that belong to a class of genes known as tumor suppressors. Mutation of these genes has been linked to hereditary breast ...
Posts Stage V Stage IV cancer is considered terminal. Stage
stagev.net/posts
Stage IV cancer is considered terminal. Stage V is blogging about it. ... With one foot in the canoe, and one foot on shore, you are sure to fall into the river ...
Breast cancer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast_cancer
Breast cancer is a type of cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk.
Breastcancer.org Discussion Boards - Breast Cancer Discussion
community.breastcancer.org
Breast Cancer Discussion Forums - Access the shared knowledge of thousands of people affected by breast cancer
Cancer Consultants - CancerConnect News
news.cancerconnect.com
Surgery May Not Be Best in Elderly Patients with Nonfatal Skin Cancer Although skin cancer is often treated with surgery, older patients with a limited life ...
NetWellness Homepage
www.netwellness.org
Experts in wellness, health, medicine, diet, drugs, fitness. NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our ...
American Cancer Society Information and Resources for Cancer ...
www.cancer.orgDonate Employment Opportunities Contact Us
American Cancer Society. The official sponsor of birthdays. Get information on cancer, how to stay healthy, find support and treatment, explore research, get involved ...
What Is Stress? How To Deal With Stress - Medical News Today ...
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145855.php
Stress represents anything that poses a threat or a challenge to our wellbeing. Some stresses are good for you, while others are damaging.
Click to Cure Breast Cancer
www.care2.com/click-to-donate/breast-cancer
Care2 requests that donations made will not be applied to programs that test on animals. Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the global leader of the breast cancer movement ...
How I Cured My Stage 4 Cancer In Two Weeks For Less Than
kelleyeidem.hubpages.com Cancer
I'm the author of the book The Doctor Who Cures Cancer, but today I'd like to talk to you about my easy victory over my own Stage 4 cancer. (Now let me address the ...
What Does Chemotherapy Feel Like? Chronicles of a Cancer
www.chroniclesofacancerpatient.com/what-does-chemotherapy-feel-like
What Does Chemo Do To You? Ok, this one might be a little too much information for you. But if theres somebody out there that will be going through all this, you ...
Health News & Articles Healthy Living - ABC News
abcnews.go.com/health
Get the latest health news from Dr. Richard Besser. Here you'll find stories about new medical research, the latest health care trends and health issues that affect ...
Cure stage 1, 2, 3, 4 Liver Cancer Naturally Cures The Immune
www.theimmune-system.com/curelivercancer
Cure stage 1, 2, 3, 4 Liver Cancer Naturally Cures with the Immune System Kits
Cancer Center: Types, Symptoms, Causes, Tests, and Treatments ...
www.webmd.com WebMD Home
Start here for information on common types of cancer, including breast, lung, colon, skin, prostate, and ovarian cancer. Get the facts on cancer symptoms, treatments ...
Diseases and Conditions - Information on Thousands of Health ...
www.health.com/health/diseases-conditions
Find Health.com's up-to-date accredited health news and medical information on more than 2,000 diseases and conditions, and related medical tests, drugs, medicines ...
Brinker Stinker: A Reminder of What Susan G. Komen is Not
cancerfree2b.com/2013/05/05/brinker-stinker-a-reminder-of-what...
This is Nancy Brinker, clapping her hands, maybe she is applauding herself for a job well done (sic). Well I am one person who is not clapping my hands for you Nancy.
The SCAR Project Blog Breast Cancer Is Not A Pink Ribbon
thescarprojectblog.com
Breast Cancer Is Not A Pink Ribbon ... [Angelina Jolie took tomb-raiding to a whole new level in her op-ed piece in yesterday's NY Times.
Welcome to Young Survival Coalition: Young Women Facing Breast ...
www.youngsurvival.org
YSC is the premier organization dedicated to the issues unique to young women with breast cancer. YSC offers resources and connections so women feel supported ...