Stage 3 Breast Cancer and Survival Rates – Know What To Expect
Stage 3 Breast Cancer is already considered a severe stage of breast cancer. Not only does this stage involve a considerable area of invasion, but it has already spread throughout the axillary lymph nodes and mild metastasis may already take place.
The Stage 3 Breast Cancer is divided into 3 subcategories or phases – 3A, 3B and 3C. To understand fully, below is a detailed description of each phase:
Stage 3 Breast Cancer Phase 1 (Stage 3A) is an invasive breast cancer which can either be under 2 conditions. The first one is that there may not be a presence of the tumor but cancer cells are still proliferating in the axillary lymph nodes. The structure is usually described as clumped or randomly stuck together (like a clumped of grapes) or if it, the infected cells are spread throughout the breastbone and surrounding tissues. The second condition is that the tumor may be at any size but has involved the lymph nodes and the structure is a distortion of clumped lobules.
At Stage 3B, the cancer is at any size and has already penetrated into the chest wall and out to the skin of the breast. In addition there is axillary lymph node involvement and the tumor structure is clumped. The breastbone may or may not be penetrated. It is in this stage that the patient may discover large portions of reddening skin of the breast, the warm and swollen feeling of the breast and the orange-peel-like symptom may be found up to the skin at the axillary area.
The last stage, Stage 3C, may not show any outward signs of breast cancer but internal invasion have already reached throughout the chest wall and the cancer will involve not just the axillary lymph nodes but also the nodes above or below your collarbone. There is also an increase possibility of your breast bone also being infected by the cancer cells.
Treatment
As the condition becomes severe, your treatment plan may involve major surgeries and prolonged series of chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and radiation therapy. Often, total mastectomy is preferred and recommended by your surgeons.
Since many women are experiencing major emotional breakdowns during Stage 3 Breast Cancer, occasional visit to a councilor or psychologist may be advised by some doctors. Sometimes, other women will undergo cosmetic reconstruction of their breast to elevate self esteem.
Survival Rate
In reality, the survival rate of cancer cases lowers down as the disease progresses. At this stage, despite the patient’s religious involvement through her treatment plans, the percentage of surviving up to 5 years is at 67% max. However, in severe cases like Stage 3C, survival rate is down to 49%.
Stage 3 Breast Cancer and Survival Rates – Know What To Expect
