The treatment of breast cancer depends primarily on how advanced the disease is, or its stage. Cases of breast cancer are stage 2 when the size of the tumor is small (2- 5 cm) and has not spread outside the breast or has only spread to the underarm lymph nodes.

In stage 2 breast cancer patients, following the biopsy and a confirmed diagnosis, it may be possible to surgically remove the cancerous cell since the tumor has not spread to other organs. Then, the estrogen and progesterone receptors are investigated in the cancerous tissue removed during surgery to determine whether the patient can benefit from hormone therapy.

What Causes Breast Cancer?

There are many important factors to consider that increase the risk of developing breast cancer. Advanced age, the onset of the first menstrual bleeding before the age of 12, and the history of breast cancer in the mother or a sibling are primary risk factors that cannot be changed or avoided. In addition, other risk factors for breast cancer are:

Never giving birth or having the first birth after the age of 30
Not breastfeeding after birth or only breastfeeding for a short time
Excessive alcohol consumption
Excessive weight or obesity
Sedentary lifestyle
Long-term estrogen therapy
Being exposed to radiation, especially in the chest area
Previously having breast cancer

Do Men Have Breast Cancer?

Although most cases are in women, men also have breast tissue. However, although the disease is possible, the risk of breast cancer in men is quite low compared to women. The disease, which is seen in approximately 1 of every 100 breast cancer cases, is mostly seen in men over the age of 60-65. Since the possibility of breast cancer in men is so low, diagnosis and treatment are often started quite late in male patients.

Early Stage Breast Cancer

What are the stages of breast cancer?

The staging of breast cancer is determined by the size of the tumor and whether the cancer has spread elsewhere. Breast cancer is graded from stage 0 (zero) to stage 4 (four). However, stage 0 (zero) actually refers to lesions that may be the precursor of breast cancer.

Stage-1: The tumor size is smaller than 2 cm in the breast or in the axillary lymph nodes. The tumor has not spread to any other place or organ.
Stage-2: The size of the tumor is between 2 and 5 cm. However, in some subgroups, the tumor cells can spread to the axillary glands.
Stage-3: If the tumor is larger than 5 cm, or smaller than 5 cm but has spread to other axillary lymph nodes. Or, the cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone, chest wall, or above the collar bone.
Stage-4: Cancer cells have spread to other organs beyond the breasts and nearby lymph nodes.