Breast cancer
can afflict either men or women, although it primarily affects women. Breast cancer can originate in the glands or ducts of the breast (adrenocarcinoma) or in the breast tissue (sarcoma). By the time breast cancer has reached stage IIIB, it has generally spread from the breast into either the lymph nodes or the chest wall.
Staging
Breast cancer is staged using the standard cancer staging system created by the American Joint Committee on Cancer. The AJCC system, or the TNM system as it is sometimes called, uses three factors to stage breast cancer. The "T" factor relates to the size of the tumor. The "N" factor relates to lymph node involvement. The "M" factor relates to whether the cancer is metastatic. If the cancer has metastasized or spread to other parts of the body distant from the breast, the M number is 1, and the T and N numbers don't matter. Staging is done using medical tests, including PET scans, CT scans and MRIs to determine the size of the tumor and the extent of cancer cells present in the body.
Stage IIIB
According to the American Cancer Society, stage IIIB breast cancer is characterized by a T number of 4, an N number between 0 and 2 and an M number of 0. This means that the size of the tumor doesn't matter because the cancer has already spread to the skin in the breast or to the chest wall. There may be cancer in the lymph nodes near the breast bone, or there may be clumps of cancer in the lymph nodes under the arm (the axillary lymph nodes), or there may be cancer sticking to other structures in the body.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer is always considered stage IIIB upon diagnosis, unless it has metastasized and reached stage IV. Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare form of breast cancer, which presents in only 1 to 3 percent of all breast cancer cases. It is distinct from regular cancer in that there is typically no lump identified. The skin of the breast may appear red or puckered or resemble the skin of an orange. Inflammatory breast cancer is often misdiagnosed as a breast infection and is a much more aggressive form of breast cancer than other forms of breast cancer.
Treatment
Stage IIIB breast cancer is usually treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This means chemotherapy is administered prior to surgery to remove the cancer. This is the treatment method of choice because the cancer is generally too advanced to be removed by surgery. Chemotherapy is designed to shrink the tumor and reduce the presence of cancer cells so that the cancer is small enough that it can be successfully eliminated by surgery.
Prognosis
The prognosis for cancer is determined according to five-year survival rates. According to the American Cancer Society, 57 percent percent of patients diagnosed with stage IIIB breast cancer are alive five years after diagnosis. Therefore, there is a 57 percent survival rate for those with stage IIIB breast cancer.
Tags: breast cancer, IIIB breast, IIIB breast cancer, lymph nodes, breast cancer, factor relates, Inflammatory breast
