T1 (includes T1a, T1b, and T1c): Tumor is 2 cm (3/4 of an inch) or less across. T2: Tumor is more than 2 cm but not more than 5 cm (2 inches) across. T3: Tumor is more than 5 cm across. T4 (includes T4a, T4b, T4c, and T4d): Tumor of any size growing into the chest wall or skin.
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.
Stage IA tumors are 3 centimeters (cm) or less in size. Stage IA tumors may be further divided into IA1, IA2, or IA3 based on the size of the tumor. Stage IB tumors are more than 3 cm but 4 cm or less in size.
Stage 2A means one of the following: no cancer is found in the breast or the breast cancer is 2 centimetres (cm) or less, and cancer cells are found in 1 to 3 lymph nodes. in the armpit or in the lymph nodes near the breastbone.
A cancer that has spread into the surrounding area is referred to as invasive breast cancer. Stage 1A: The tumor is very small and has not spread to the lymph nodes. Stage 1B: Cancer between 0.2 mm and 2 mm is found in the lymph nodes (the breast tumor can't be detected or is smaller than 20 mm).
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). Find out more about the risk of breast cancer recurrence and adjuvant therapy.
In another study, in the American Journal of Roentgenology following 490 diagnosed breast cancer patients from 2016 to 2017, the average tumor size upon diagnosis of cancer was 1.4 cm for women who had annual mammograms and 1.8 cm for women who had exams only once every two years.
T1 (includes T1a, T1b, and T1c): Tumor is 2 cm (3/4 of an inch) or less across. T2: Tumor is more than 2 cm but not more than 5 cm (2 inches) across. T3: Tumor is more than 5 cm across. T4 (includes T4a, T4b, T4c, and T4d): Tumor of any size growing into the chest wall or skin.
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).
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.
Stage IV is the most advanced stage of breast cancer.
Mastectomy for breast cancer treatment
A mastectomy may be a treatment option for many types of breast cancer, including: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), or noninvasive breast cancer. Stages I and II (early-stage) breast cancer. Stage III (locally advanced) breast cancer — after chemotherapy.
How soon after a breast cancer diagnosis should you have surgery? Breast cancer surgery is often the first course of treatment. In some cases, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy first (called neoadjuvant chemotherapy) to help shrink larger cancer cells. Surgery should come within a few weeks of diagnosis.
Most palpable fibroadenomas are about 1 to 3cm in size and are called simple fibroadenomas. Some can grow to more than 5cm and are called giant fibroadenomas. Most fibroadenomas stay the same size. Some get smaller and some eventually disappear over time.
Fibroadenomas can be removed surgically, or can be managed without surgery, particularly in younger women. If the lump is greater than 3cm in diameter, painful, growing or shows concerning features, surgical removal is often recommended.
Number staging system
stage 1 – the cancer is small and hasn't spread anywhere else. stage 2 – the cancer has grown, but hasn't spread. stage 3 – the cancer is larger and may have spread to the surrounding tissues and/or the lymph nodes (or "glands", part of the immune system)
3A: The tumor is smaller than 5 cm and has spread to between four to nine underarm lymph nodes or the nodes near the breastbone. The tumor is larger than 5 cm and has spread to one to three underarm lymph nodes.
Knowing the stage and grade helps doctors decide on the best treatment for you: The stage of a cancer – this describes its size and whether it has spread from where it started. You may need a few scans and tests to find out the stage.
The current five-year relative survival rate of those first diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer is 80.6%.
Grade 3 or high grade. The cancer cells look very different from normal cells and are growing faster. These cells tend not to have estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER-negative and PR-negative). High grade DCIS is often more likely to turn into invasive breast cancer.
Systemic therapy (chemo and other drugs)
If the tumor is larger than 0.5 cm (about 1/4 inch) across, chemo after surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy) is sometimes recommended. A woman's age when she is diagnosed may help in deciding if chemo should be offered or not.
Studies show that even though breast cancer happens more often now than it did in the past, it doesn't grow any faster than it did decades ago. On average, breast cancers double in size every 180 days, or about every 6 months.
In general, 3-4 cm is considered to be the safe cutoff for lumpectomy in medium to large breasts. Patients undergoing lumpectomy for cancer must undergo postoperative radiotherapy to the chest wall to reduce the risk of local recurrence.