In stage 2 breast cancer, the tumor measures between 2 cm and 5 cm, or the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm on the same side as the breast cancer.
Stage II: The tumor is larger than 2 cm in size, but does not invade nearby organs, has not spread to the lymph nodes, and has not spread to other parts of the body (T2 or T3, N0, M0).
Stage 2 usually means that the tumour is larger than in stage 1 but the cancer hasn't started to spread into the surrounding tissues. Sometimes stage 2 means that cancer cells have spread into lymph nodes close to the tumour. This depends on the particular type of cancer.
Stage IIB is based on one of these criteria: A tumor of 20 to 50 millimeters is present in the breast, along with cancer that has spread to between one and three nearby lymph nodes. A tumor in the breast is larger than 50 millimeters, but cancer has not spread to any lymph nodes.
Grade 2: The cells and tissue are somewhat abnormal and are called moderately differentiated. These are intermediate grade tumors. Grade 3: Cancer cells and tissue look very abnormal. These cancers are considered poorly differentiated, since they no longer have an architectural structure or pattern.
Stage 2 cancer is a bit more serious than stage 1 cancer, but with early treatment, patients can be completely cured of the disease. The recurrence rate is also low if treated immediately. However, cancer is a highly progressive disease that spreads at an increased rate.
Cancer grades
grade 1 – cancer cells that resemble normal cells and aren't growing rapidly. grade 2 – cancer cells that don't look like normal cells and are growing faster than normal cells. grade 3 – cancer cells that look abnormal and may grow or spread more aggressively.
T1a tumors are over 1 mm and no more than 5 mm in diameter. T1b tumors are over 5 mm and no more than 10 mm in diameter. T1c tumors are greater than 10 millimeters and no more than 20 millimeters. The tumor is larger than 20 millimeters (2 centimeters) and no more than 50 millimeters (5 centimeters).
Many breast cancers do not spread to lymph nodes until the tumor is at least 2 cm to 3 cm in diameter. Some types may spread very early, even when a tumor is less than 1 cm in size.
Primary breast tumors vary in shape and size. The smallest lesion that can be felt by hand is typically 1.5 to 2 centimeters (about 1/2 to 3/4 inch) in diameter. Sometimes tumors that are 5 centimeters (about 2 inches) — or even larger — can be found in the breast.
A specialist called a pathologist determines the grade of your tumor by studying samples from the biopsy under a microscope. The pathologist describes the findings in a pathology report, which also contains other details about your diagnosis.
You will often receive chemo in sessions where you have treatment for several weeks, followed by a few weeks off before resuming. Your tumor may start to shrink after one round, but it can also take months.
If invasive ductal carcinoma has not spread beyond the breast, the five-year survival rate is approximately 99%. If the cancer has spread to nearby structures or lymph nodes, the five-year survival rate is approximately 86%.
Tumor Size and Staging
Tumor size may be measured under a microscope, especially for small tumors. Tumor size is strongly related to prognosis (chances for survival). In general, the smaller the tumor, the better the prognosis tends to be [12].
Non-cancerous brain tumours are grades 1 or 2 because they tend to be slow growing and unlikely to spread. They are not cancerous and can often be successfully treated, but they're still serious and can be life threatening.
Size of the tumour
Tumour size will affect prognosis no matter how many lymph nodes have cancer in them.
Location or site of tumor within the breast has been identified as an independent risk factor for the poor prognosis. For example, the upper inner quadrant had a much lower rate of axillary lymph node metastasis than the other quadrants (21% vs.
T1: The tumor is 2 cm or less in diameter. T2: The tumor is more than 2 cm but less than 5 cm across. T3: The tumor is larger than 5 cm in width. T4: The tumor can be of any size but is growing into the chest wall or skin.
That size is the one at which breast cancer is most commonly diagnosed (the “modal size”) and 2.0 cm marks the boundary between stage i and ii for node-negative breast cancers and between stage ii and iii for node-positive breast cancers.
Stage 1A means that the cancer is 2 centimetres (cm) or smaller and has not spread outside the breast.
Approximately half of breast cancers exhibit rapid growth (tumor doubling time (Td), up to 25 days); one-third grow at an intermediate rate (Td 26 to 75 days) and 15% grow slowly (Td 76 days or longer). Anatomic (TNM) staging does not define a homogeneous patient group in breast cancer.
There are various methods to determine tumor size including palpation on physical examination and breast-imaging studies such as mammography, ultrasound, and more recently MRI. Pathology however is considered to be the gold standard method for measurement of tumor size.
Grade II (atypical): Approximately 15 percent to-20 percent of meningiomas are atypical, which means that the tumor cells do not appear typical or normal. Atypical meningiomas are neither malignant (cancerous) nor benign, but may become malignant at some point.
While there are well over 100 different types of brain tumors, glioblastoma is typically recognized as the most aggressive primary brain cancer in adults.