Stage 2: How big is the breast cancer?

This is an automatically translated article.

Breast cancer includes 4 stages, with each different stage, the tumor size also changes, tends to increase. Stage 2 breast cancer has grown large, but stage 2 breast cancer is still considered early stage.

1. What is breast cancer? What is stage 2 breast cancer?

Breast cancer is breast cells that grow abnormally out of control of the body, forming tumors with malignant characteristics such as invasion of surrounding tissues and malignant cells that have the ability to metastasize to other tissues. distant organs in the body.
Breast cancer is divided into 4 stages. Stage 2 breast cancer means the tumor may or may not have spread to the lymph nodes, but has not spread to distant organs in the body.

2. Signs of stage 2 breast cancer

Chest pain: May be dull, sometimes not obvious. Pain may be accompanied by burning. Skin changes: The skin on the breasts may appear red or purple. Swollen or swollen lymph nodes in the chest: The chest may be abnormally swollen, the axillary lymph nodes may be enlarged. Itching in the chest: Accompanied by pain, swelling may be itchy Back, shoulder or neck pain: Some women instead of chest pain experience frequent back or shoulder pain.

3. Stage 2 breast cancer tumor size

A stage 2 breast tumor is larger than a stage 1 breast tumor, but the cancer cells have not spread to a distant part of the body. The tumor is 2 - 5 cm in diameter. Cancer may or may not have spread to axillary lymph nodes or has spread to axillary lymph nodes. Stage 2 breast cancer is divided into stages 2A and 2B.
Stage 2A : The tumor is about the size of a lemon in diameter, but the cancer has not spread (metastasized) to the axillary lymph nodes.

Stage 2B: The tumor is 2 to 5 cm in diameter, but the cancer cells have spread to no more than 3 axillary lymph nodes.

4. Treatments for Stage 2 Breast Cancer

Stage 2 breast cancer is treated with a combination of methods: Surgical treatment, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and hormones.
Surgical treatment: Tumor removal and mastectomy, optional. When radical mastectomy transforms, the mammary gland including the pectoral muscles is removed. It is possible to choose to remove the benign breast in cases where the patient has a high risk of carrying genetic factors, carrying a mutated gene. Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy helps to get rid of any remaining cancer cells in the chest or lymph nodes Chemotherapy: Using drugs to kill cancer cells has a systemic effect. Chemotherapy is used to treat people who are at high risk of recurrence or spread to other parts of the body. By giving drugs intravenously over the course of weeks or months. Treatment with hormones: After completing the above treatment to avoid the risk of recurrence, drugs can be used. These drugs are indicated for about 5 years. A hormone-stimulating hormone-stimulating oophorectomy may be considered.

Stage 2 breast cancer is about 2 to 5 cm in size, at this stage, if it is detected and treated properly, the chance of cure is high. Treatments can limit the risk of tumor spreading and reduce the risk of disease recurrence. When there are any signs or risk factors of breast cancer, it is necessary to go for early breast cancer screening, early detection and treatment bring high efficiency.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.