From: healthline.com
As part of a breast cancer diagnosis, doctors order testing to determine the cancer’s stage and tumor size. This can include if it has spread within the body and how far.
The stage of a cancerous tumor describes how advanced the cancer is. It can also tell your care team how the cancer might respond to treatment and how quickly it may be growing.
Along with other tests, tumor size and stage can help your care team determine how best to treat your breast cancer.
If you’re trying to understand what tumor size has to do with breast cancer staging, keep reading. In this article, you can read about breast cancer tumor sizes, as well as how tumor sizes affect treatment and growth rate.
Staging breast cancer is a multi-step process. The tumor’s size and location help healthcare professionals determine the cancer’s stage. Other factors are considered, too.
Tumor stage
Healthcare professionals use the TNM System to understand a tumor’s stage.
- T = tumor — This tells you the size and location of the tumor.
- N = lymph nodes — This tells you if the cancer has spread to any lymph nodes and how many are affected.
- M = metastasis — This indicates the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Tumor size
Breast cancer tumors are divided into five categoriesTrusted Source based on size:
- Tis: This size of tumor is considered noninvasive. It’s very small and hasn’t spread.
- T1: This tumor is less than 2 centimeters (3/4 inch). It may or may not have spread to nearby lymph nodes.
- T2: This tumor is slightly larger, between 2 and 5 centimeters. Some stage 2 tumors are larger but haven’t spread to the lymph nodes. Others may be small but have spread to nearby lymph nodes.
- T3: Tumor is greater than 5 cm.
- T4: Tumor of any size with invasion into the chest wall or skin.
It’s important for your doctor and entire healthcare team to know the cancer’s stage in order to plan treatment. Treatment for breast cancer takes into account the tumor’s size, location, and spread, if there is any.
Treatments can include:
- chemotherapy
- hormone therapy
- targeted therapy
Radiation will typically be used for advanced-stage cancer, but other treatments will likely be used along with it.
Breast cancer cells are mutated cells — they don’t grow the way healthy cells do. Instead, they grow at different rates than other cells in the body.
Different types of cancers also grow at different rates. That makes predicting how quickly a breast cancer tumor will grow difficult.
Most breast cancer tumors have been growing for several years before they’re found. The cells will need to divide as many as 30 times before the tumor is detectable. With each division taking 1–2 months, a tumor can grow for 2–5 years before it’s found.
Some tumor gradings include information that indicates how likely the tumor is to grow and spread.
Doctors usually gather this information with a biopsy. In this medical procedure, a professional removes a tissue sample from the affected area. That tissue will be sent to a lab where a specialist will review it.
Cancerous cells that are highly aggressive will look very different from normal, healthy cells. The greater the difference between the two types of cells, the higher the chances the cancer is aggressive. But cancer cells that look more like the other cells may be less aggressive.
If the biopsy suggests the cancer is likely to spread, you’ll be monitored closely for metastases. Cancer cells can spread via the lymph system, bloodstream, or directly into nearby tissues and organs.
Doctors consider a breast cancer tumor larger than 5 cm to be stage 3.
A stage 2 breast cancer tumor can range in size, typically between 2 and 5 cm. Some stage 2 tumors may be larger but haven’t spread to the lymph nodes. Others may be smaller but have spread to nearby lymph nodes.
In general, doctors consider a smaller tumor, typically less than 2 cm, that hasn’t spread beyond nearby lymph nodes to be early stage. Early stage cancer typically has a better outlook, but your individual outlook depends on breast cancer type and various personal factors.
The size of a tumor correlates with breast cancer staging.
A tumor less than 2 cm is considered stage T1. Experts consider a tumor between 2 and 5 cm to be stage T2. If the tumor is greater than 5 cm, it’s typically stage T3. A tumor at stage T4 has spread into the chest wall or skin.
Doctors also look at how far the cancer has spread, whether into nearby or distant lymph nodes or other parts of the body.
Breast cancer can grow for years without a noticeable lump or bump in your breast tissue. A regular mammogram may detect the tumor before you can manually.
As part of a breast cancer diagnosis, doctors order testing to determine the cancer’s stage and tumor size. This can include if it has spread within the body and how far.
The stage of a cancerous tumor describes how advanced the cancer is. It can also tell your care team how the cancer might respond to treatment and how quickly it may be growing.
Along with other tests, tumor size and stage can help your care team determine how best to treat your breast cancer.
Barbara Jacoby is an award winning blogger that has contributed her writings to multiple online publications that have touched readers worldwide.