IDC breast cancer stands for infiltrating or invasive ductal cell carcinoma. This means the cancer began or originated in a milk duct of the breast, as opposed to the fatty tissue of the breast. It's considered to be invasive or infiltrating because it breaks through the duct itself and grows into the tissue and fat of the breast. Eight of every 10 cases of breast cancer are IDC or infiltrating breast cancers.
Staging
The prognosis for cancer survival is determined based on the stage of the cancer and five-year survival rates. Cancer is staged using a system pioneered by the American Joint Committee on Cancer, so the staging system is sometimes called the AJCC system. It's also sometimes referred to as the TNM system, based on the three factors used to stage the cancer. The "T" factor refers to the size of the tumor. The "N" factor refers to the presence or absence of cancer cells in the lymph nodes. The "M' factor refers to whether the cancer has metastasized or spread to other parts of the body distinct from the breast.
Stage 1 Prognosis
Stage 1 IDC refers to invasive breast cancer that has two distinct characteristics. The tumor size is either 2cm or smaller, and the lymph node involvement (the "N" number) is 0. This means there are no cancer cells present in the lymph nodes. There is no metastases in Stage 1 IDC. According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for Stage 1 IDC is 100 percent.
Stage 2 Progonsis
There are two separate subsets for Stage 2 IDC. Patients with a tumor that is 2cm or less and cancer cells in the axillary lymph nodes, or patients with a tumor between 2cm and 5cm and no cancer in the lymph nodes are considered to be Stage 2A. Patients with a tumor between 2cm and 5 cm and cancer in the axillary lymph nodes, or with a tumor larger than 5cm and no cancer in the lymph nodes are considered to be Stage 2B. The five-year survival rate for Stage 2 IDC is 86 percent.
Stage 3 Prognosis
Patients with Stage 3A IDC have a tumor that is 5cm or smaller with a clump of cancer cells in the axillary lymph nodes, or a tumor that is 5cm or larger with a clump of cancer cells in the axillary lymph nodes. Patients with Stage 3B IDC have any size tumor and cancer cells on the chest wall and/or skin of the breast, or cancer cells in axillary lymph nodes or lymph nodes near the breast bone. Patients with Stage 3C have cancer cells in the lymph nodes below the collarbone or in the breast bone. The five-year survival rates for patients with Stage 3 IDC is 57 percent.
Stage 4 Prognosis
Stage 4 IDC is characterized by metastases. This means the cancer has spread beyond the breast and is somewhere else in the body. The size of the tumor and lymph node involvement do not matter; the cancer has spread and is no longer curable. The five-year survival rates for Stage 4 IDC are 20 percent.
Tags: lymph nodes, cancer cells, axillary lymph, axillary lymph nodes, five-year survival, cancer cells axillary, cells axillary
