This article explains the stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis and its impact on life expectancy.
It discusses staging, treatment options, and what the survival rate statistics mean.
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
Researchers often stress that survival rate numbers lag and do not reflect new treatment options.
Your healthcare team can discuss your specific situation with you.
Targeted therapies likeHerceptin(trastuzumab) and Tykerb (lapatinib) specifically act on this protein.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
It is important to remember that each person is different, and statistics simply give a larger overall picture.
A five-year survival rate is the percentage of people who will live forat leastfive years after diagnosis.
It does not mean you will only live for five years.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
Many women with stage 3 breast cancer will live for years or even decades longer than that.
What Is Stage 3?
Stage 3 breast cancer is considered regional disease.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
This means it has spread to regional lymph nodes.
It is notmetastatic, meaning it hasn’t spread to other parts of the body.
Stage 3 breast cancer is further divided into three subgroups.
Stage 3C Breast Cancer
This stage also includes inflammatory breast cancer.
The table below shows some possible examples of how breast cancer might be assessed and staged.
TNM Staging
Since both your treatment andprognosiscan be impacted by substage classifications, careful staging is needed.
Although the TNM system may seem confusing at first, the rationale is pretty straightforward.
Further information can be added to the diagnosis of stage 3 breast cancer by reviewing its TNM score.
Treatment for stage 3 breast cancer may include:
Is Inoperable Breast Cancer Treatable?
With a stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis, surgery is not always an immediate option.
A number of variables may be at work, including the possibility of inflammatory breast cancer.
Keep in mind that although your breast cancer is inoperable, the oncology team still has other treatment options.
Specific hormonal therapies can be used, for example, which may contribute to decisions about surgery.
During this time, you will continue to have regularmammogramsand perform regularself-examsif breast tissue is still remaining.
Outlook
Your individual prognosis will depend on many factors including your diagnosis.
Around 60% will have long-term survival.
It’s important to keep up with your healthcare visits and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Living with cancer can be challenging, not just physically, but emotionally as well.
Finding a support group or therapist can be helpful.
If not, ask your provider for resources.
Summary
Stage 3 breast cancer is breast cancer that is advanced but not metastatic.
It is still treatable.
They offer an incomplete picture of what to expect based on your specific diagnosis and health history.
However, each breast cancer stage above 0 also has subcategories.
In general, Stage 3 breast cancer is considered curable.
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American Cancer Society.Inflammatory breast cancer.
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National Breast Cancer Foundation.Stage 3 (III) A, B, And C Breast Cancer Overview.
National Cancer Institute.Breast Cancer Treatment (PDQ)Patient Version.
National Cancer Institute.Cancer staging.
American Cancer Society.Treatment of breast cancer stages I-III.
American Cancer Society.Immunotherapy for breast cancer.
National Cancer Institute.Targeted therapy to treat cancer.
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