What Are the Treatments for Stage 3 Breast Cancer? ~ Breast Cancer

Breast cancer refers to cancers that have originated in the breast. It is more common in females then males. There are two main types of breast cancer: adrenocarcinomas, which originate in the glands or ducts of the breast, and sarcomas, which originate in the tissue of the breast. A third, rare form of breast cancer, called inflammatory breast cancer, differs from regular breast cancers in that there is no lump in the breast. Instead, the skin of the breast appears red and inflamed, and may look puckered like the skin of an orange. Inflammatory breast cancers are all considered to be at least Stage III. Sarcomas and adrenocarcinomas are considered to be Stage III only when the cancer begins to spread and advance.

Breast cancer staging is done using the standard cancer staging system pioneered by the American Joint Committee on Cancer. The system is called the AJCC system, or the TNM system, based on the three factors used in the staging process. The "T" factor refers to the size of the tumor. The "N" factor refers to whether there is cancer in the lymph nodes. The "M" factor refers to whether the cancer has spread (metastasized) or appeared in different parts of the body.

There are a number of different characteristics of Stage III breast cancer. Stage IIIA refers to cancers where there is no visible tumor in the breast, but there is cancer in lymph nodes in the breast bone or under the arms (axillary lymph nodes) which is sticking either together or to other structures. Stage IIIA can also refer to cancer in the axillary lymph nodes accompanied by a breast tumor of 5 centimeters in size or smaller, or tumors in the breast 5 cm or larger with cancer in the lymph nodes.

Stage IIIB refers to breast cancers that have spread to the chest wall or breast skin and/or cancers that have spread to the lymph nodes and clumped together.

Stage IIIC refers to cancers that have spread to the chest wall and breast skin and are accompanied by cancer in the lymph nodes near the collarbone and axillary lymph nodes.

Treatment depends upon the extent of the spread of the cancer. Stage IIIA breast cancer is treated in a similar manner to Stage II breast cancer. Surgery can take the form of either a lumpectomy with radiation or a mastectomy. SNL (sentinel lymph node biopsy) is also performed, in which the closest lymph node to the breast is removed and biopsied to determine the extent of cancer. Radiation, chemotherapy and hormone therapy may be appropriate. Stages IIIB and IIIC may be treated with a mastectomy, surgery, radiation and/or hormone therapy.

A lumpectomy involves the partial removal of the part of the breast that contains cancer cells. The breast is preserved. Lumpectomy, accompanied by radiation, may be an option but is usually only recommended for patients up to Stage IIIA. Mastectomy involves removal of the entire breast, and is usually the best treatment option for people with more advanced forms of breast cancer (tumors larger than 2 cm).

Chemotherapy is recommended for the vast majority of patients with Stage III breast cancer. Chemotherapy may be administered prior to surgery in an attempt to shrink the tumor so it can be removed with a lumpectomy and/or to ensure that it can all be removed with a mastectomy. Chemotherapy administered prior to surgery is called neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. Chemotherapy also is administered after surgery, in most cases, to try to kill any lingering cancer cells. Post-surgery chemotherapy is called adjuvant chemotherapy. Adriamycin, Adrucil, Amethopterin, Cytoxan, Ellence, Gemzar, Navelbine, Paraplatin, Taxol, Taxotere and Xeloda are the chemotherapy medications most commonly used to treat breast cancer.

Hormone therapy usually follows the other types of breast cancer treatments. It may be recommended for women with hormone-receptive breast cancer, for up to five years after a patient enters remission, to prevent recurrence. Tamoxifen is the hormone therapy most commonly prescribed for breast cancer.

Radiation is usually administered when a woman is given either a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. External beam radiation is most commonly used, which means high energy X-ray-like beams are pointed at the body. The purpose of radiation is to kill any remaining cancer cells. It usually works in conjunction with chemotherapy.

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