Breast cancer stage 6

Breast cancer is a disease with an increasing incidence among women. Although with the gradual development of medical technology today, breast cancer patients can receive good treatment, if symptoms are not discovered until the late stage of breast cancer, then treatment will be difficult. Stage 6 breast cancer means that substantial lesions already exist. Next, I will introduce you to some relevant knowledge about breast cancer!

1. Breast cancer grading

Level 0: The assessment is incomplete and requires further evaluation in combination with other imaging examinations.

Level 1: No abnormalities are found. It is recommended that you continue regular screening. No further diagnosis or treatment is required.

Grade 2: Benign. Follow-up at the breast clinic every 6-12 months is recommended.

Grade 3: Possible benign lesions, with a 2% chance of being malignant. You need to go to a breast clinic that has the conditions for follow-up and have a check-up every 3-6 months in order to detect subtle changes in the lesions and deal with them in a timely manner.

Level 4: The possibility of malignancy is considered and a biopsy is required for confirmation. The possibility of malignancy is 3%-94%.

Among them: Grade 4A lesions tend to be benign, such as uncertain fibroadenomas, mastitis, intraductal lesions with nipple discharge or bleeding, etc., with a malignancy possibility of 3%-30%; Grade 4B lesions tend to be malignant, with a malignancy possibility of 31%-60%; Grade 4C lesions have a higher malignancy possibility of 61%-94%.

Level 5: Highly suspected malignant lesions requiring surgical excision and biopsy.

Level 6: Malignant lesions have been confirmed by pathology.

2. Breast cancer screening

In the breast clinic, the doctor will first perform a physical examination and examine both breasts after learning about the medical history; imaging examinations will also be combined, including breast X-ray (breast mammography), color ultrasound, and, if necessary, breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Mammography is the main method of breast cancer screening recommended internationally in recent years. It can detect breast cancer that cannot be felt during clinical examination. It is usually used for women over 40 years old. The breasts of women in this age group are not sensitive to radiation, the radiation damage they suffer is limited, and the breast density is relatively low, so abnormal signs can be easily detected on mammary X-rays. Breast color ultrasound does no harm to the human body and is ideal for young women and those with dense breasts. Magnetic resonance imaging (MBI) examination can detect small multifocal and multicentric lesions and can be regarded as an imaging examination method for early diagnosis. The final diagnosis will be based on cytopathology (in hospitals with the necessary conditions) and histopathology. A biopsy will be performed based on abnormalities found during clinical examinations. Either a puncture or surgical procedure can be used. Once cancer cells are found, treatment will be taken immediately. If the patient has nipple discharge, some examination methods for nipple discharge can also be carried out, such as ductoscopy, mammary duct angiography, and discharge cytology smear.

Breast cancer treatment

Doctors will use a variety of methods, including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, biological targeted therapy, and auxiliary treatment with traditional Chinese medicine, depending on the stage of the tumor and the patient's physical condition.

Surgery plays an important role in the diagnosis, staging and comprehensive treatment of breast cancer.

Radiotherapy uses radiation to destroy the growth and reproduction of cancer cells, thereby controlling and eliminating cancer cells. Surgery and radiotherapy are both local treatments.

Chemotherapy is a treatment method that uses anti-cancer drugs to inhibit the division of cancer cells and destroy cancer cells. It is referred to as chemotherapy.

Endocrine therapy uses drugs or removes endocrine glands to regulate the body's endocrine function and reduce the secretion of endocrine hormones, thereby achieving the purpose of treating breast cancer. Molecular targeted therapy is one of the most active research fields in recent years. Compared with chemotherapy drugs, it is a new type of anti-tumor therapeutic drug with a multi-link mechanism of action.