Stages of Breast Cancer

Stages of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is staged after it is first diagnosed to see how far it has spread in the breasts or to the body.

The breast cancer stage uses a system that goes from 0 to IV. Non-invasive cancers are represented by 0, while invasive cancers that have moved outside the breast and to other areas of the body are staged at IV.

Your doctor will use four characteristics to stage your breast cancer:

  • Size
  • Invasive or non-invasive
  • Location in lymph nodes
  • How far the cancer has spread outside the breast

After your cancer is staged, your doctor will discuss the staging results with you.