Radiation therapy is needed after a lumpectomy, but may or may not be needed after a mastectomy.
This article discusses the diagnosis and treatment of stage 2 breast cancer.
It also looks at survival rates for people who are diagnosed at this stage.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
This is not the same asmetastatic(stage 4) breast cancer.
In this system:
Treatment
Your treatment can include a combination of approaches.
Treatment options include:
Local Treatments
Surgical choices will include a lumpectomy or a mastectomy.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
If radiation is recommended, that will affect the timing of any breast reconstruction that you may have.
Some tumors don’t respond well to pre-treatment; when that happens, a mastectomy will be necessary.
You may then considerbreast reconstruction.
You may spend three to 18 months or longer in the active treatment of stage 2 breast cancer.
If the tumor is estrogen receptor-positive, hormone therapy is usually prescribed for five to 10 years.
The five-year survival rate for stage 2 breast cancer is 93% for women who have completed treatment.
Women with stage 3 cancer have a five-year survival rate of 75%.
Is Stage 2 Breast Cancer Curable?
Stage 2 breast cancer is curable with the right treatment.
Although recurrence is possible, the chances can be reduced with radiation treatment and appropriate follow-up care.
During this time, you may need to takehormone therapyif your tumor was hormone-sensitive.
Sometimes hormone therapy is recommended beyond five years for those with estrogen receptor-positive tumors.
What are the chances of breast cancer recurrence after treatment for stage 2 breast cancer?
For women diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer, the 15-year rate of local recurrence is about 16%.
Distant recurrence in those who had a mastectomy is most influenced by axillary lymph node involvement.
When axillary lymph nodes are not cancerous, the recurrence rate is 6% in five years.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
Coping
If you’ve been recently diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer, you may feel overwhelmed.
There is a multitude of resources for receiving support and learning more about your diagnosis.
Summary
If you’ve been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer, the outlook is very good.
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