My Breakthrough
Staging and grading
Every cancer is unique. Looking at the cancer cells under the microscope allows your medical team to discover useful information about the characteristics and likely behaviour of your cancer - the stage and grade.
Doctors can use this information to help work out the most appropriate treatment for your particular cancer and also to give some indication of prognosis.
The staging of the cancer gives important information for deciding on the most appropriate treatment option. It is described according to standardised rules.
The tumour is generally assessed by three criteria known as TNM. This is based on size of Tumour, presence of cancer cells in the lymph Nodes, and Metastasis (spread).
In a commonly used staging system for invasive breast cancer there are usually 4 stages:
The extent of the spread of a cancer can also be described as node positive, or node negative. Node positive indicates that the armpit lymph nodes contain cancer cells; node negative indicates that they do not. If the cancer is node negative, it is less likely to recur. The extent of any spread beyond the breast is the most important factor in prognosis.
Grading refers to the appearance of the cancer cells - and how they are arranged in relation to each other - under the microscope. The grade gives an idea of how quickly the cancer may develop and is normally only applied to invasive cancers.
Grade 1 tumours are generally slow-growing and less likely to spread. The cancer cells still look quite similar to normal cells in the breast. Cancer cells in Grade 3 tumours look very abnormal. They can grow quickly and are more likely to spread. The extent of any spread beyond the breast is the most important factor in prognosis.
Assessment of the lymph nodes in the armpit is crucial to both staging and prognosis. This is likely to require surgery. You may be offered a procedure called Sentinel node biopsy that is available in some hospitals.
Stage
The surgery and tests you may have help the doctor to establish the extent of the disease - its stage. This refers to the size of the cancer and whether it has spread.The staging of the cancer gives important information for deciding on the most appropriate treatment option. It is described according to standardised rules.
The tumour is generally assessed by three criteria known as TNM. This is based on size of Tumour, presence of cancer cells in the lymph Nodes, and Metastasis (spread).
In a commonly used staging system for invasive breast cancer there are usually 4 stages:
Stage 1:
A small tumour (less than 2cm) localised in the breast only.Stage 2:
A small tumour (between 2 and 5 cm) that could involve lymph nodes in the armpit, but with no signs that the tumour has spread anywhere else.Stage 3:
A larger tumour (over 5cm) that may be attached to other structures such as the skin or chest wall. Cancer cells have normally spread to the lymph nodes, but not to other parts of the body.Stage 4:
In this stage, the tumour can be of any size - but the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes and to other parts of the body. This indicates the presence of secondary breast cancer.The extent of the spread of a cancer can also be described as node positive, or node negative. Node positive indicates that the armpit lymph nodes contain cancer cells; node negative indicates that they do not. If the cancer is node negative, it is less likely to recur. The extent of any spread beyond the breast is the most important factor in prognosis.
Grade
Cancer is also graded, based on what the cells look like under a microscope, which gives an idea how quickly the cancer may develop.Grading refers to the appearance of the cancer cells - and how they are arranged in relation to each other - under the microscope. The grade gives an idea of how quickly the cancer may develop and is normally only applied to invasive cancers.
There are three grades:
- Grade 1 (low grade)
- Grade 2 (moderate grade)
- Grade 3 (high grade)
Grade 1 tumours are generally slow-growing and less likely to spread. The cancer cells still look quite similar to normal cells in the breast. Cancer cells in Grade 3 tumours look very abnormal. They can grow quickly and are more likely to spread. The extent of any spread beyond the breast is the most important factor in prognosis.
Assessment of the lymph nodes in the armpit is crucial to both staging and prognosis. This is likely to require surgery. You may be offered a procedure called Sentinel node biopsy that is available in some hospitals.
