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Stage & Grade Of Breast Cancer
Health Service Executive
When your breast cancer is diagnosed, the doctors will give it a stage. The stage describes the size of the cancer and how far it has spread, and helps to predict the outlook.
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is sometimes described as stage 0. Other stages of breast cancer describe invasive breast cancer:
- stage is – the tumour is "in situ" and there's no evidence of invasion (pre-invasive)
- stage 1 – the tumour measures less than 2cm and the lymph nodes in the armpit aren't affected; there are no signs that the cancer has spread elsewhere in the body
- stage 2 – the tumour measures 2-5cm, the lymph nodes in the armpit are affected, or both; there are no signs that the cancer has spread elsewhere in the body
- stage 3 – the tumour measures 2-5cm and may be attached to structures in the breast, such as skin or surrounding tissues, and the lymph nodes in the armpit are affected; there are no signs that the cancer has spread elsewhere in the body
- stage 4 – the tumour is of any size and the cancer has spread to other parts of the body (metastasis)
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