The stages of breast cancer
FASLODEX is indicated for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women whose disease has returned or progressed following antiestrogen therapy.
A breast is made up of lobules, ducts, fatty tissue, blood vessels, lymph vessels, muscles, and nerves. The lobules contain many tiny sacs that make milk during breast feeding. There are up to several thousand lobules in each breast. The ducts are tubes that carry the milk from the lobules to the nipple. The fatty tissue surrounds the lobules and ducts to provide support. Lymph vessels carry lymph to lymph nodes in the underarm, above the collarbone, and in the chest. There are also lymph nodes throughout the body.
Your doctor will look at a number of factors, including the size of the tumor, the role of lymph nodes, and how far the cancer has spread, to determine the stage of your breast cancer. There are early stages of breast cancer (0, I, II, and IIIA) and advanced stages (IIIB/C and IV).
Breast cancer stages
Early breast cancer
Stages 0, I, II, and IIIA are considered early breast cancer. At these stages, abnormal cells have been found and the cancer may have grown within the breast or spread to lymph nodes. However, in these early stages, the cancer hasn't reached the skin of the breast or tissues of the chest wall, and hasn't spread to distant locations.
Advanced breast cancer
Stages IIIB, IIIC, and IV are considered advanced breast cancer.
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Stage IIIB describes breast cancer in which the tumor may be any size and has spread to the chest wall and/or skin of the breast and may have spread either to axillary lymph nodes that are clumped together or sticking to other structures or to lymph nodes near the breastbone.
Inflammatory breast cancer can be stage IIIB, IIIC or IV.
Stage IIIC describes cancer that has spread to lymph nodes below and above the collarbone. The tumor may be any size. It is also possible that the cancer may have spread to the chest wall and/or the skin of the breast. The cancer may have also spread to axillary lymph nodes or to lymph nodes near the breastbone.
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Stage IV describes metastatic breast cancer in which the cancer has spread from the breast to other parts of the body, such as the bones, liver, lungs, or brain. Metastatic breast cancer can be diagnosed when there was no prior history of breast cancer. It can also develop as a recurrence of breast cancer that was diagnosed in the past. Learn more about metastatic breast cancer.