Does this make any difference in wife's cancer diagnosis?!
Question: Does this make any difference in wife's cancer diagnosis.?
The tumor in her breast first measured 4.78 cm. with evidence it spread to the lymph nodes. Her surgeon said he staged it at 2B. Her oncologist said because it also had tentacles that sort of spread out she had classified it as stage 3b.
The treatments remain the same and they are working, but does the stage number 2b or 3b make any difference on how she will survive the cancer.?
I asked her chemotherapy nurse this question and she said the lower the number the better it is.
So confused now.Health Question & Answer
The treatments remain the same and they are working, but does the stage number 2b or 3b make any difference on how she will survive the cancer.?
I asked her chemotherapy nurse this question and she said the lower the number the better it is.
So confused now.Health Question & Answer
Answers:
Hi Dave,
As far as statistics and survival rates go, yes it does make a difference.And yes the nurse is correct the lower the number the better it is. When I abstract cases I sometimes have conflicting reports and it is up to me to figure out who is correct. When it comes to tumor size and extension the pathologist wins hands down. However, if you are the Dave I think you are (who lives a couple of states north of me) and my memory is correct, your wife had presurgical treatment, which would have changed it all. In this situation I would go with the oncologist.
For a stage 2B with positive nodes would make the tumor between 2cm and 5cm.
For a stage 3B with positive nodes would mean the tumor extended to the chest wall, the skin or both. The size of the tumor does not matter. The oncologist may be basing this on a radiological exam, you should ask.
also keep in mind this is only one of several things taken into consideration when determining prognosis. The grade of the tumor is also very important, as are the hormone receptors.Health Question & Answer
As far as statistics and survival rates go, yes it does make a difference.And yes the nurse is correct the lower the number the better it is. When I abstract cases I sometimes have conflicting reports and it is up to me to figure out who is correct. When it comes to tumor size and extension the pathologist wins hands down. However, if you are the Dave I think you are (who lives a couple of states north of me) and my memory is correct, your wife had presurgical treatment, which would have changed it all. In this situation I would go with the oncologist.
For a stage 2B with positive nodes would make the tumor between 2cm and 5cm.
For a stage 3B with positive nodes would mean the tumor extended to the chest wall, the skin or both. The size of the tumor does not matter. The oncologist may be basing this on a radiological exam, you should ask.
also keep in mind this is only one of several things taken into consideration when determining prognosis. The grade of the tumor is also very important, as are the hormone receptors.Health Question & Answer
cancer is staged 1-4. stage 4 is lethal and chances increase with the lower number...hence why stage 1 breast cancer has like a 95% survivability but stage 4 has much less survivability after 5 years. cancer is staged based on size and how much the tumor has spread thoughout the body. stage 3 is worse then stage 2.Health Question & Answer
I had a brain tumor that classified as stage 2 cells and stage 3 cells. I'm being treated as a stage 3, more aggressively. I can't imagine treatment being exactly the same with two different stage cancers. The higher the number, the more aggressive the cancer and the faster it spreads.Health Question & Answer