Stage IV

T0-4, N0-3, M1 – this stage means that either there is no tumor found in your breast (T0), or that the tumor is any size (T1-T3), or that the tumor has spread to your chest wall underneath your breast or to the skin of your breast (T4). It also means that either none of your lymph nodes are affected (N0), or the cancer has spread to one or more lymph nodes in your armpit (N1-N3). The lymph nodes below your collar bone, or the ones above your collar bone, or the ones inside your breast could be affected as well. And, unlike all the other previous stages, the cancer has spread to other organs, such as bone, lung, or liver, and/or to lymph nodes far from the breast (M1).

In addition to the signs of symptoms of breast cancer (a painless mass in your breast, edema or swelling of your breast, pain in your breast, reddened skin with tenderness or a lump on the skin of your breast, and/or a lump in your armpit), it is likely that you will experience symptoms that are specific to the affected organ. These symptoms could be pain in the area of the affected organ (like pain in your back if it’s your spine/bone), or shortness of breath (if it’s your lungs).

Diagnosis is similar to the diagnosis of all the other stages, imaging studies and biopsies. But unlike the other stages, the primary treatment for stage IV breast cancer is not surgery. Instead, chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy are typically given as the primary treatments. Radiation therapy and/or surgery might be done to shrink or to remove a large tumor from the affected organ to relieve symptoms, such as pain. Because stage IV breast cancer is considered an advanced stage, the 5-year survival rate is below 50%.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve read about the different stages of breast cancer, we would like you to know a few more things. First, this section of our website has been created simply to give you an idea of this horrible disease. If you haven’t been diagnosed, we want you to have an idea of what signs and symptoms to look out for; after all, early detection is key to a better prognosis. If you have been diagnosed, we want you to have an idea of what the stage you are in means, and what to expect from being in that stage.

Second, you probably noticed that we used the word "might" a lot! This is because with cancer, nothing is set in stone. Every person, every case, every doctor, every health care team is different. As we mentioned earlier, staging systems serve as guidelines for treatments and prognosis. They are not “laws”. So if your doctor has a plan of action that is somewhat different from what we mentioned here, he or she will probably have a good reason for that. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You just wanna know! If, for some reason or another, you are not convinced with the answers, get a second opinion. That’s okay, too.

Another thing we want you to know is that just because the only imaging study we mentioned here is a mammogram doesn’t mean that a mammogram is the only imaging study you will have. Because young women tend to have dense breast tissue, meaning it’s thick, it may not be as easy to spot a tumor with a mammogram alone. If this is the case, an ultrasound will probably be done as well. Also, if metastasis is a possibility, you will probably have to take other imaging tests, like a CT scan, an MRI, a PET scan, and/or a bone scan.

Fourth, we want you to know that once those science guys and gals have figured out what stage your breast cancer is in, you will keep that original diagnosis regardless of what happens to the cancer. For example, you have been diagnosed with stage IIB breast cancer because your tumor is 3cm and 3 of your axillary lymph nodes are affected. Then after some type of treatment, your tumor shrinks to less than 2 cm and your armpit is now cancer-free, it doesn’t mean you are now in stage I breast cancer. It means your stage IIB breast cancer is responding well to treatment. Similarly, if you have been diagnosed with stage IIIA breast cancer, but then later on the cancer spreads to your lungs, your diagnosis doesn’t change to stage IV breast cancer. Instead, your diagnosis becomes "stage IIIA breast cancer with metastasis to the lungs (or simply, with lung mets)".

This brings us to another point... people commonly mistake metastasis to mean that they now have cancer of whatever organ is affected. For instance, some will say that they have both breast cancer and lung cancer, when they mean they have breast cancer with metastasis to the lungs. "What’s the difference?" you say. Well, it’s a pretty big difference. Metastasis basically means that the original cancer cells that were found living in your breast had family members, or maybe they had children, and those cells decided to live in a different home, and in this case, in your lungs. So these cancer cells living in your lungs are closely related to the original cancerous breast cells. They are not lung cells that have become cancerous, which is what causes lung cancer. Lung cancer calls for a different course of treatment than the course of treatment designed for breast cancer with lung mets.

Last, but definitely not the least, we mentioned a 5-year survival rate for each stage (except for stage IIIC). This is the percentage of people who live at least 5 years after their original diagnosis. Again, every person, every case, every doctor, every health care team is different! Please do not be discouraged if you find that the 5-year survival rate for the stage you are in is not what you expected or hoped. With all the research being done daily and all the new drugs and technology being developed, more women are surviving this disease than ever before. So keep on truckin’! And as you do, don’t forget to remind yourself, "I am beautiful!!!"... because you are!

(If you are still feeling pretty s#!+>, and you need someone to talk to, remember you are always welcome to contact us through e-mail or phone!)

Disclaimer: The information included on this site is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan. Reading the information on this website does not create a physician-patient relationship.