What is the Difference Between Stage 2 and Stage 3 Breast Cancer

The key difference between stage 2 and stage 3 breast cancer is that in stage 2 breast cancer, the tumor cells are normally larger than at stage 1 and may have spread to a few nearby lymph nodes, while in stage 3 breast cancer, the tumor cells are normally larger than at stage 2 and have spread to several lymph nodes or other tissues around the breast or breast bone.

Breast cancer occurs in the cells of the breast. After skin cancer, it is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the United States. The stage of breast cancer indicates the severity of the breast cancer disease upon diagnosis. Moreover, breast cancer stages (stages 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4) are based on the size and location of the tumor, whether the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes or other parts, whether it has spread to distant parts of the body, and what breast cancer biomarkers are.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Stage 2 Breast Cancer
3. What is Stage 3 Breast Cancer
4. Similarities – Stage 2 and Stage 3 Breast Cancer
5. Stage 2 vs. Stage 3 Breast Cancer in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Stage 2 vs. Stage 3 Breast Cancer

What is Stage 2 Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer stage 2 is an invasive stage of breast cancer. Stage 2 breast cancer usually means that the tumor is larger than the stage 1 tumor and may have spread to a few nearby lymph nodes. It is further divided into stages 2A and 2B.

Stage 2A Breast Cancer

Breast cancers are classified under the stage 2 A group if they have the following characteristics; the tumor may not be detected in the breast tissue but still has spread to one to three lymph nodes (but this tumor has not spread to other parts of the body) or the tumor is 20 mm or smaller in size and has spread to one to three lymph nodes or the tumor is 20 mm to 50 mm in size and has not spread to any of the lymph nodes.

Stage 2B Breast Cancer

Breast cancers are classified under the stage 2 B group if they have the following characteristics; the tumor is 20 mm to 50 mm in size and has spread to one to three lymph nodes, or the tumor is normally larger than 50 mm in size but has not spread to any of the lymph nodes.

Stage 2 breast cancer can be diagnosed through physical examination, biopsies, X-rays, bone scans, and ultrasound. Surgery is the main treatment for stage 2 breast cancer. In addition to that, doctors may also use radiation and chemotherapy.

What is Stage 3 Breast Cancer?

Stage 3 breast cancer is also considered an invasive breast cancer stage. Stage 3 breast cancer indicates that the tumor is larger than the stage 2 tumor and has spread to several lymph nodes and tissues around the breast or breast bone. It is further divided into three groups: 3A, 3 B, and 3C.

3A Breast Cancer

Breast cancers are classified under stage 3 A group if they have the following characteristics; the tumor has spread to four to nine lymph nodes or typically to mammary lymph nodes, but not to any other parts of the body, or the tumor is larger than 50 mm in size and spread only to one to three lymph nodes.

3B Breast Cancer

Breast cancers are classified under the stage 3 B group if they have the following characteristics; the tumor is spread to the chest area or triggers the breast swelling, or the tumor is inflammatory breast cancer that may have spread to nine lymph nodes but not spread to other parts of the body.

3C Breast Cancer

Breast cancers are classified under the stage 3 C group if they have the following characteristics; the tumor has spread to 10 or more than 10 lymph nodes, including those under the collarbone, but still has not spread to any other parts of the body.

Stage 3 breast cancer can be diagnosed through physical examination, tissue biopsies, ultrasound, and genetic testing. Furthermore, stage 3 breast cancer is treated through surgeries like mastectomy, radiation, hormone therapy, or chemotherapy.

Figure 02: Stage 3 Breast Cancer

What are the Similarities Between Stage 2 and Stage 3 Breast Cancer?

• Stage 2 and stage 3 breast cancer are two different types of breast cancer stages.
• Both stages are detected by qualified pathologists in the laboratory.
• They are invasive breast cancer stages.
• They are diagnosed through physical examination, tissue biopsies, and ultrasound.
• Both stages can be treated through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.

What is the Difference Between Stage 2 and Stage 3 Breast Cancer?

Stage 2 breast cancer is a type of breast cancer stage in which tumor cells are normally larger than at stage 1 and may have spread to a few nearby lymph nodes, while stage 3 breast cancer is a type of breast cancer stage in which tumor cells are normally larger than at stage 2 and have spread to several lymph nodes or other tissues around the breast or breast bone. Thus, this is the key difference between stage 2 and stage 3 breast cancer. Furthermore, stage 2 breast cancer is less dangerous and has a better survival rate than stage 3 breast cancer.

The infographic below presents the differences between stage 2 and stage 3 breast cancer in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Stage 2 vs. Stage 3 Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a disease where the cells in the breast tissue grow out of control. There are different types of breast cancers. Breast cancer can be benign or metastasized. The treatment of breast cancer is based on the breast cancer stages. In stage 2 breast cancer, the tumor is larger than the stage 1 tumor and may have spread to a few nearby lymph nodes. In stage 3 breast cancer, the tumor is larger than the stage 2 tumor and has spread to several lymph nodes and tissues around the breast or breast bone. So, this summarizes the difference between stage 2 and stage 3 breast cancer.

Reference:

1. “Stage 2 (II) and Stage 2A (IIA) Breast Cancer Overview.” National Breast Cancer Foundation.
2. “Treatment of Breast Cancer Stages I-III.” American Cancer Society.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Diagram 2 of 2 showing stage 2A breast cancer CRUK 009” By Cancer Research UK – Original email from CRUK (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Diagram 3 of 3 showing stage 3A breast cancer CRUK 016” By Cancer Research UK – Original email from CRUK (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia