Breast Cancer Awareness Month Tip #16 -- Understanding Stage 2

The tumor grows and starts spreading in stage 2 breast cancer.

October is breast cancer awareness month

The need for breast cancer awareness is increasing with the rise in the number of cases. There are various things that put one at a risk of this deadly disease and being aware of routine screening tests is one way of prevention. Detection and treatment of breast cancer in early stages like stage 0 and stage 1 can prevent the condition from worsening. Here are 10 tips to detect breast cancer early.

Stage 0 is the non-invasive stage where there is just a hint of cancer cells in the milk ducts. In stage 1 the cancer becomes evident but is found only in the place where the first cancer cells appeared.

Both, stage 1 and stage 2 cancer are stages. In stage 2, the cancer is contained in breasts and may or may not have spread to the lymph nodes. According to Dr Dhairyasheel Savant, Oncosurgeon at the Asian Institute of Oncology, SL Raheja Hospital, Mumbai, in stage 2, the tumour size ranges from two centimetres to five centimetres. Here are 6 breast cancer symptoms you should never ignore

Depending on the size, the stage is further divided into stage 2A and 2B. In stage 2A, the size of the tumour is small and cancer cells may have spread to about three lymph nodes. In stage 2B, the size of the tumour increases to around five centimetres and may or may not have spread to the nearby lymph node.

Treatment for stage 2 cancer is more advanced than stage 0 and 1. Treatment of stage 2 breast cancer involves surgery, in which the tumour is surgically removed and is followed by chemotherapy and then radiotherapy.

Image source: Shutterstock

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