Stage 3 Breast Cancer

Stage 3 Breast Cancer is Not a Death Sentence.

It's the kind of news you never want hear from your doctor. Breast cancer. It's hard to hear what comes after that. The emotional impact of the news can lead to anger at how unfair life is, sadness, depression, anxiety or more. When you heard the news, you might have been too upset to ask questions at the time.

Being scared is normal and part of the process. Breast cancer stage three is a scary disease. Now that you've got the diagnosis, you want to know more. This is good. The more you know, the better the decisions you make about your treatment options.

Just remember, that, while there's a lot of information out there, the key thing is that stage three breast cancer can be treated. It's not going to be easy. You're going to be taking drugs that promise to make the cancer sicker than it makes you. But it can be treated, and has about a fifty-fifty five year survival rate.

This is a life changing event, like having a child, or graduating from high school, or getting married. When you've gone through this, you will be a different person than you were when you started. Many people who survive stage 3 breast cancer say it gave them a new appreciation for life in all its possibilities. But first, you have to get through it.

Stage 3 breast cancer is categorized in three subtypes, called 3A (IIIA), 3B (IIIB), or 3C (IIIC).

Breast cancer stage 3 A is invasive breast cancer found in the lymph nodes of the arm pit, or the lymph nodes near the armpit. Tumors in the breast itself in stage 3 A breast cancer can be anywhere from nonexistent to five centimeters in size.

"Stage three breast cancer is not a death sentence" Stage 3 B breast cancer is cancer that's spread from the breast, and the cells are clumped together, or sticking to other body parts, like bones or the chest wall. Inflammatory breast cancer is considered stage 3 B. Whether or not a tumor exists in the breast is irrelevant to whether or not it's stage 3 B breast cancer.

Stage 3 C breast cancer may or may not have a tumor in the breast; if there is a tumor, it may be of any size. What makes it stage 3 C is that it's spread past the lymph nodes of the underarm and gone above or below the collarbone, or to the skin of the breast itself.

Stage 3 breast cancer (all types) is characterized by the cancer spreading from the breast to the surrounding tissues. However, it has not spread any further than that.

This stage of cancer is still treatable. The survival rates are creeping upwards as doctors make advances in techniques and treatments. This makes it even more important to be informed about your options. Cancer treatment is slowly moving away from the one-size-fits-all treatment methodology.

It's much likelier that you're going to get a customized array of treatments for your specific cancer and its locations. This is because even different varieties of breast cancer differ from each other.

At stage 3 breast cancer, most of the treatment options are geared towards removing cancer cells and preventing further spread. This can be a rigorous ordeal, but you can make it. Stage three breast cancer is not a death sentence if you get it treated aggressively and keep a positive attitude.