Stages of breast cancer
If you have breast cancer, you might be told it’s at a certain stage. This describes whether or not it has spread to other parts of your body, and how far. Knowing the stage of your cancer helps you and your doctors to decide on the best treatment for you.
- Stage 0: “pre-invasive” breast cancer such as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)
- Stage 1: the cancer is only in the breast and the tumour is a small size
- Stage 2: the cancer is still only in the breast and/or has spread to the lymph nodes close to the tumour.
- Stage 3: the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes and may have spread to nearby muscles and skin.
- Stage 4: the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as nearby lymph nodes, surrounding organs such as the liver and the bones. This is also known as metastatic cancer.
With all stages of breast cancer, there is plenty of treatment and support that can help you, including traditional medicine and practices like ceremony and being on Country.