Prevention,Preventive Care,Chronic Conditions,Women's Health,Breast Cancer Awareness Month,Physical Health
How Important Early Breast Cancer Detection is By Stage
Lindsay Knake
| 3 min read
Lindsay Knake is a brand journalist and project plan...
Key Takeaways
- Breast cancer found before it spreads has a five-year relative survival rate of more than 99%, compared with 32% when it is diagnosed after spreading to distant parts of the body.
- Stage 0 and Stage 1 cancers are typically confined to the breast and are more treatable, while Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer has spread to organs such as the bones, liver, lungs or brain.
- The American Cancer Society recommends routine mammograms based on age and risk factors, helping detect cancer earlier when treatment options and chances of survival are greatest.
As breast cancer is the overall fourth leading cause of cancer deaths and the second leading cause of cancer deaths behind lung cancer in women in the United States, per the National Cancer Institute (NCI), early detection is key to help women survive.
Getting regular screenings based on your age and risk can improve mortality and help you stay healthier. A breast cancer diagnosis at the early stage has a much higher average five-year survival rate than a diagnosis at a later stage when cancer has spread. Here’s a look at the importance of detection by stage.
The stages of breast cancer
When cancer is diagnosed, it’s given a stage to describe the extent of the cancer and whether it has spread to other parts of the body, according to the NCI.
For breast cancer diagnosis, the stage includes the size and location of the primary tumor, the spread to lymph nodes or other areas of the body, the grade of the tumor and other biomarkers to measure how fast cancer cells are growing. The stages are:
- Stage 0 or noninvasive breast cancer: abnormal cells are found in the breast, but have not spread outside the breast
- Stage 1 or early-stage invasive breast cancer: the cancer is 2 centimeters or less and only in the breast tissue, or found in lymph nodes close to the breast
- Stage 2 or invasive breast cancer: the cancer is greater than 2 centimeters in the breast or nearby lymph nodes or both
- Stage 3 or locally advanced breast cancer: the tumor is larger or has spread to the lymph nodes close to the breast, the skin of the breast or the chest wall
- Stage 4 or metastatic breast cancer: the cancer has spread to other parts of the body such as the bones, liver, lungs or brain
The earlier cancer is found, the more likely treatment is to be successful, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Early diagnosis also gives healthcare providers more options for treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
There is a database called Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) that tracks five-year relative survival rates for breast cancer in the U.S. from when the cancer is first diagnosed, according to the ACS. Rather than in the Stage 0 to 4 healthcare providers use, the data are grouped into three different stages:
- Localized: no sign that cancer has spread outside of the breast
- Regional: cancer has spread outside the breast to nearby structures or lymph nodes
- Distant: cancer has spread to distant parts of the body
| Five-year relative survival rates for breast cancer | |
| SEER stage | Five-year relative survival rate |
| Localized | >99% |
| Regional | 87% |
| Distant | 32% |
This database shows survival rates from women with breast cancer from 2015 to 2021.
How to reduce the risk of breast cancer
Talk to your primary care provider about breast cancer prevention, especially if you have a family history of this disease. The ACS recommends women ages 40 to 44 have the option for yearly screenings, women ages 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year and women 55 and older can switch to every other year or continue yearly exams. There are additional screenings recommended for women with extremely dense breast tissue or with higher breast cancer risk.
To reduce the risk of breast cancer and stay healthy:
- Eat a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, lean protein and whole grains.
- Reduce or eliminate alcohol.
- Don’t smoke.
- Get at least 150 minutes of exercise a week.
- Get your annual physical and recommended screenings.
Photo credit: Getty Images
