Breast cancer is cancer that occurs in the breast cells. More than 268,000 women were affected by breast cancer in 2019, and 41,000 died. Like all cancers, breast cancer can be fatal if not treated early. This article talks about the various stages and symptoms of breast cancer.

Symptoms of breast cancer
When it comes to awareness about the stages and symptoms of breast cancer, it is important to understand the signs of this disease. It must be noted that in the early stages the tumor would be too small to be felt and symptoms may not be experienced. As the cancer advances, various symptoms can be seen.

Some of the symptoms of breast cancer are:

• A lump or thickness in the breast that can be felt and that seems different when touched
• Change in the appearance of the nipple, including inverted nipple
• Pain in the breast
• Change in the skin on the breast – including change of appearance or peeling of skin.
• A swelling or a lump under the arm near the armpit
• A change in the shape or size of the breast that happens suddenly
• Swelling in the breast area
• Discharge from the nipple that is unusual (not milk)
• Bleeding from the nipple
• Skin dimpling or redness.

Breast cancer staging
The stages of breast cancer depend on factors like the size of the tumor, appearance, and metastasis (how far it has spread). Breast cancer is classified under five different stages — from 0 to 4.

Stage 0:  In this stage, the cancer cells are within the ducts and have not reached surrounding tissues.

Stage 1: Stages 1-3 are known to have sub-stages. They are as follows: Stage 1A: The tumor is not more than 2 cm wide and has not spread to the lymph nodes.

Stage 1B: The tumor is less than 2 cm wide and may have spread to the lymph nodes nearby.

Stage 2:  Stage 2A: In this stage, the tumor is still less than 2 cm but has spread to 1 to 3 lymph nodes or the tumor size is between 2 to 5 cm.

Stage 2B: The tumor size is between 2 to 5 cm and has spread to 1 to 3 lymph nodes or is more than 5 cm wide but has not spread to any lymph node.

Stage 3:  Stage 3A: The tumor has spread to more than 4 lymph nodes and may be of any size.

Stage 3B: The tumor has spread to the chest wall or has spread to less than 9 lymph nodes.

Stage 3C: The tumor has spread to 10 lymph nodes.

Stage 4:  Stage 4 is an advanced form of breast cancer, also known as metastatic breast cancer. The tumor may be of any size. Cancer would have spread not only to different lymph nodes but also to other organs in the body.

The information on stages and symptoms of breast cancer would have helped you understand about the disease’s progress. Frequent checkups and self-examination can help in detecting breast cancer early so treatment can be effective.