The National Cancer Institute estimates that in 2009, more than 190,000 women and 1,900 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. Breast cancer forms in the tissues of the breasts, generally the ducts, which are tubes that carry milk, and the lobules, the glands that actually make milk.There are also blood vessels and lymph vessels in the breasts that connect to lymph nodes, which can also be affected by breast cancer.
Staging
Breast cancer, like other cancers, is classified into stages depending on the spread of the disease. The stage of the cancer helps determine the subsequent treatment and influences prognosis. Staging includes lab tests, clinical exams and tests like CT scans, and ranges from Stage 0 (carcinoma in situ) to Stage IV (metastatic cancer). Each stage represents a combination of tumor size, lymph node involvement, and whether there are metastases, better known as the TNM system set forth by the American Joint Committee on Cancer.
Stage IIA Breast Cancer
Stage II breast cancer is still considered early stage breast cancer. There are two substages of Stage II breast cancer, stage IIA and IIB. Cancer falls into Stage IIA if there is no primary breast tumor, but cancer is found in lymph nodes under the arm; the tumor is 2cm or less and cancer has been found in lymph nodes under the arm; or the tumor is between 2 and 5cm but has not spread to the lymph nodes under the arm, according to the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society. At this stage, there may or may not be a palpable lump in the breast.
Surgery
Surgery for Stage IIA breast cancer can consist of either lumpectomy with lymph node dissection and subsequent radiation, or a modified radical mastectomy. The survival rates are similar, and both options are recognized as being effective for disease control, according to the Washington Manual of Oncology. The size of the tumor relative to the breast, location of the tumor and patient preference will determine whether one treatment is chosen over the other.
Radiation Therapy
Women who have radiation after a lumpectomy for early stage breast cancer decrease their risk for a local recurrence from 39 percent to 14 percent, according to the Washington Manual of Oncology. Radiation post-lumpectomy is effective for patients with and without lymph node involvement. Radiation therapy may also be given to women who have chosen to have a mastectomy for Stage IIA breast cancer. Regardless of which surgery was performed, radiation treatment is given five days a week for five to six weeks.
Chemotherapy, Hormone Therapy And Biological Therapy
Chemotherapy is the use of cancer-fighting drugs to interfere with the growth and multiplication of cancer cells. Chemotherapy in Stage IIA breast cancer helps address the possibility of micrometastases in the body, which can lead to metastatic cancer. Some tumors are dependent on hormones or other biological factors to grow, and drugs like Tamoxifen and Herceptin may be effective in controlling these cancers and preventing growth, according to cancer.gov.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are studies that help researchers find new treatments for illnesses that may be more effective than current treatments. For early stage breast cancer, including Stage IIA breast cancer, there is a trial looking at the effectiveness of trastuzumab (brand name Herceptin) combined with chemotherapy as of 2009, according to cancer.gov. To find out more information about clinical trials, it is best to talk to your doctor about whether you would benefit from participating, or what the risks and benefits are.
Survival
The National Cancer Institute has developed a Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database that contains survival rates of various cancers, and they group the statistics by the stage of cancer. They do not differentiate between substages, like Stage IIA or IIB. Instead, there is a general Stage II statistic, and Stage IIA is thought to have a slightly higher survival rate than Stage IIB, according to cancer.org. For Stage II breast cancer, the overall five-year survival rate is 86 percent as of 2009.
References
- National Cancer Institute (Breast Cancer Page)
- The Washington Manual of Oncology (2nd Ed), Ramaswamy Govindan, 2008
- American Cancer Society (Breast Cancer Page)
