Breast Cancer Stages

When one talks of breast cancer and treatment, the secondary question is its survival rate. Survival rates give patients an idea of the extent of their cancer as well as the treatments that are available to them. We often hear of five-year survival rates for each stage of breast cancer, but what exactly is breast cancer survival rate... Breast cancer survival can be described in the following ways:
- Period of time : 5 or 10 years, that a woman lives after diagnosis
- Risk of reoccurrence
- Risk of death when compared to others with the same illness
The first is the more popular method. Since the survival rate is commonly categorized according to stages, some points about the stages of breast cancer first.
The stages inside Breast Cancer Stage 2 can be quite different! So, before we tell you the exact survival rate information, we have to go back and give some more details on how is breast cancer staged.

The stage is being assigned depending on how invasive (or not) it is, the number of lymph nodes are taken by the cancer, has it spread to other parts of the body, and finally, the stage depends on the dimension of the tumor.

If the tumor is diagnosed as breast cancer stage 2, and it has not spread to the lymph nodes, and it's diameter is under 2 centimeters, the 5 year survival rate is 88%-92% according to the statistics of the (American) National Cancer Institute.

If the tumor diameter is above 2 centimeters but below 5 centimeters it's a Stage 2A. If it has also spread to lymph nodes, the stage is 2B. The reported 5 year survival rate falls to 76%-81% for Stage 2B. Compare this to the 98%-100% survival rate of an early detected Stage 1, and you'll understand how early detection is important! Monthly self-examinations simply save human lives. Mammograms are accessible even in most distant parts of the Globe.

Does breast cancer survival rate vary across countries? Unfortunately, all the women of the human race are at risk of getting the breast cancer. Yes, there are variations across countries and you can find many reports which exploit this subject. However, the bottom line is, these variations are not substantial. All the advice that is valid for one country is hundred percent valid for another one. Living habits, lifestyle and how often you visit the doctor (early discovery just helps a lot), do make a substantial difference in the survival rate. For example, in some subcultures women drink more alcohol than in others. That's why stats show the difference across countries, it's not because of the country itself or climate. It's strictly because of the living conditions and habits. The same explanation applies to the racial differences.