What Is Stage III Breast Cancer, How Is It Treated And What Are The Survival Rates?

          Stage III breast cancer is also divided into A and B subclasses. In Stage IIIA breast cancer, the tumour is smaller than 5cm and has spread into between 4 and 9 of the underarm lymph nodes. Alternatively, if the tumour is larger than 5cm, it is staged as IIIA if it has spread to between 1 and 9 near lymph nodes. There is no spread to elsewhere in the body. Stage IIIB breast cancer, there may or may not be spread to lymph nodes, but the tumour has spread to the chest wall or breast skin.

          Women with Stage III breast cancer are usually treated with chemotherapy to make their tumour smaller before they have surgery to remove either the tumour or the whole breast. The operation may then be followed by more chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and radiotherapy.

          Stage III breast cancer is more severe because the cancer has started to spread. 67% of women with Stage IIIA breast cancer live for 5 years and 54% of Stage IIIB patients survive that long. This is still over half the women diagnosed at this stage of the disease.