Healthcare providers may do physical examinations or order mammograms to check for signs of breast cancer. But they do the following tests to diagnose the disease:
- Breast ultrasound.
- Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.
- Breast biopsy.
- Immunohistochemistry test to check for hormone receptors.
- Genetic tests to identify mutations that cause breast cancer.
Stages of breast cancer
Healthcare providers use cancer staging systems to plan treatment. Staging cancer also helps providers set a prognosis, or what you can expect after treatment. Breast cancer staging depends on factors like breast cancer type, tumor size and location, and whether cancer has spread to other areas of your body. Breast cancer stages are:
- Stage 0: The disease is noninvasive, meaning it hasn’t spread from your breast ducts to other parts of your breast.
- Stage I: There are cancerous cells in nearby breast tissue.
- Stage II: The cancerous cells have formed a tumor or tumors. The tumor is either smaller than 2 centimeters across and has spread to underarm lymph nodes or larger than 5 centimeters across but hasn’t spread to underarm lymph nodes. Tumors at this stage can measure anywhere between 2 and 5 centimeters across, and may or may not affect the nearby lymph nodes.
- Stage III: There’s breast cancer in nearby tissue and lymph nodes. Stage III is usually referred to as locally advanced breast cancer.
- Stage IV: Cancer has spread from your breast to areas like your bones, liver, lungs or brain.
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