Warning Precursors of Breast Cancer Advancement

Over 90 percent of breast cancer cases are diagnosed during the earlier stages of the disease. Early spotting is beneficial for the patient as it typically means better treatment and a stronger prognosis.

However, this is only a portion of the whole clinical picture. Various characteristics, like lymph node engagement and receptor status, can help prognosticate outcome and aid in choosing a treatment selection, making them critical factors for survival.

Although breast cancer is on the rise in North America and the UK, the mortality rate is decreasing. This decline in mortality is credited to an increased number of women obtaining mammograms, improved evaluation techniques, and effective ancillary treatments.

So, if most cases of breast cancer are detected during the early stages, what does that mean and how can it be treated?

An Overview of the Earlier Symptoms of this Disease

Early breast cancer stages are referred to as TNM stages 1, 2 and 3a. This rating system gauges the advance of carcinoma. It also indicates that any tumors are operable.

The majority of early breast cancer cases are cured through either surgery, radiation therapy, systemic therapy or a combination of the three, resulting in a much greater survival rate.

Normal Treatment Reactions

Treatment reaction generally hinges on lymph node engagement, the size and grade of any tumors, the age of the patient, hormone (estrogen and progesterone) receptors, and the status or condition of biologic markers like HER2/neu.

Lymph Nodes

Lymph nodes are an effective way to predict the effects of breast cancer. Essentially, the more positive lymph nodes that are present, the lower the patient's survival rate and the higher the chances of relapse.

Commonly, patients with earlier stage breast cancer are classified into either those presenting negative nodes, 1 to 3 positive lymph nodes, 4 to 9 positive nodes, or 10 and more nodes.

The Size of Tumor

If a patient exhibits negative lymph nodes and a tumor that is smaller than 1cm, the prognosis is often very good. Most doctors use tumor size as an effective and critical indicator during the early stages of this disease.

Tumor Grade

The lower the tumor grade, the lower the risk for relapse. Nevertheless, due to the undependability of tumor information, most pathologists don't trust this data for their medical assessment.

Hormone Receptors

Estrogen and progesterone receptors within the tumor is also used to prognosticate breast cancer during the earlier stages. Generally, those patients with a receptor-positive form of breast cancer tend to have a better prognosis and survival rate than those who don't.

HER2/neu as an Indicator

HER2/neu is a tumor marker that is expressed in approximately a quarter of all breast cancer cases. If its numbers are high, this is usually associated with a more aggressive form of breast cancer.

Age of the Patient

Concerning various breast cancer stages, normally older patients (over the age of 50) have a stronger prognosis than younger patients (under the age of 35).

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