T1mi is a tumor that is 1 mm or smaller. T1a is a tumor that is larger than 1 mm but 5 mm or smaller. T1b is a tumor that is larger than 5 mm but 10 mm or smaller. T1c is a tumor that is larger than 10 mm but 20 mm or smaller.
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.
Cancers of exactly 2 cm in size occupy a special niche in breast oncology. 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.
The average size of a tumor is 1 cm when found during regular breast self-exams. The average size of a tumor is 2.62 cm when found by women who do not do self-exams.
In stage IA, a tumor measures up to 20 millimeters (about the size of a grape), and there's no cancer in the lymph nodes. Stage IB can be described as either: a small tumor in the breast that is less than 20 millimeters plus small clusters of cancer cells in the lymph nodes; or.
Stage 1A means that the cancer is 2 centimetres (cm) or smaller and has not spread outside the breast.
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.
Size of the tumour
Breast tumours that are 5 cm or larger are more likely to come back after treatment than smaller tumours. If a breast tumour is smaller than 1 cm and the cancer hasn't spread to any lymph nodes, the prognosis is usually very favourable.
Your treatment team will decide whether to recommend chemotherapy depending on the size and other features of the breast cancer, and whether any cancer cells have spread to the lymph nodes under the arm. Generally, people with breast cancers greater than 2cm are more likely to be offered chemotherapy.
Stage 1 breast cancer
Stage 1A means the cancer is 2cm or smaller and has not spread outside the breast. The cancer in the breast is 2cm or smaller and a very tiny area of breast cancer (0.2mm–2mm) is found in the lymph nodes under the arm (micrometastasis).
Women who have tumors less than 2 cm across often undergo lumpectomy.
A stage IIA cancer describes a tumor larger than 4 cm but 5 cm or less in size that has not spread to the nearby lymph nodes. Stage IIB lung cancer describes a tumor that is 5 cm or less in size that has spread to the lymph nodes within the lung, called the N1 lymph nodes.
The size of a breast tumor is an important factor in staging breast cancer. Doctors use a specific classification, known as the TNM (tumor, node, metastasis) system, to stage breast cancer. The T stands for tumor size, reported in millimeters or centimeters.
The stage of a cancer describes the size of a tumour and how far it has spread from where it originated. The grade describes the appearance of the cancerous cells. If you're diagnosed with cancer, you may have more tests to help determine how far it has progressed.
Most fibroadenomas are 1–2 cm in size, but they can grow as large as 5 cm. Simple fibroadenomas are the most common type of fibroadenoma. They are made up of one type of tissue. Simple fibroadenomas don't increase the risk for breast cancer.
Breast cancer that has not spread beyond the breast or the axillary lymph nodes. This includes ductal carcinoma in situ and stage I, stage IIA, stage IIB, and stage IIIA breast cancers.
Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is not usually offered for stage 1 breast tumours. It may be offered after surgery (called adjuvant therapy) for these tumours if there is a high risk that the cancer will come back (recur).
Breast cancer has to divide 30 times before it can be felt. Up to the 28th cell division, neither you nor your doctor can detect it by hand. With most breast cancers, each division takes one to two months, so by the time you can feel a cancerous lump, the cancer has been in your body for two to five years.
On average, breast cancers double in size every 180 days, or about every 6 months. Still, the rate of growth for any specific cancer will depend on many factors.
Stage 2 breast cancer is an early stage wherein the cancer has not spread beyond the breast and its surrounding lymph nodes. By some estimates, the average 5-year relative survival rate for stage 2 breast cancer is around 93%. People who receive earlier diagnoses and treatments for cancer tend to have better outcomes.
BI-RADS 3 is an intermediate category in the breast imaging reporting and data system. A finding placed in this category is considered probably benign, with a risk of malignancy of > 0% and ≤ 2%4.
Even if healthcare providers re-stage the cancer diagnosis, or it recurs, they keep the first staging diagnosis. 3A: The tumor is smaller than 5 cm but has spread to between 4 to 9 nodes. The tumor is larger than 5 cm and has spread to 1 to 9 nodes.
Stage IB1: The tumor is 5 mm or more in depth and less than 2 centimeters (cm) wide. A centimeter is roughly equal to the width of a standard pen or pencil.
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].