Breast cancer is slowly becoming the most common form of cancer in women. The first noticeable symptom of this medical condition is the formation of lumps in the breast or the armpits. Other common symptoms include a rash on or around the nipple, changes in the size of the breast, changes in the shape of the breast, pain around the breast and armpit regions, and a type of discharge from either or both nipples. Breast cancer stages depend on the size of the tumor. It also depends on whether the tumor has spread to other parts of the body.

Before discussing treatments for every stage of breast cancer, it is imperative to understand what each stage of breast cancer is.

1. Stage 0
Known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the tumor cells are limited to within a duct in stage 0. Adjoining tissues have not been affected yet. At this stage, the cancer is still non-invasive.

If detected early, breast cancer can be stopped from developing into invasive breast cancer. The treatment procedure conducted is lumpectomy, i.e., the cancerous cells are removed through surgery. As a result, the tumor cells do not spread further. Oral hormone treatment is also preferred.

2. Stage 1
The lymph nodes have not yet been affected; in this stage, the tumor is around 2 cm across.

Treatment starts with mastectomy and lumpectomy. Radiation therapy can also be performed as a means of targeted therapy for this stage. Alternatively, hormone therapy can also be suggested as a treatment.

3. Stage 2
In this stage, the tumor has started to spread in the adjoining areas.

For this stage, mastectomy and lumpectomy are the main options for treatment. After the surgery, radiation therapy is also conducted.

4. Stage 3
The tumor is up to 5 cms across, and there is a great possibility that it has spread to the lymph nodes too.

Along with mastectomy and lumpectomy, radiation therapy is recommended too. This is done to eradicate the cancer cells if there are any that are present in the chest and lymph nodes. Chemotherapy can also be recommended to target the cancerous cells in other parts of the body.

5. Stage 4
In this stage, the cancer has drastically spread to the nearby and distant organs of the body.

In this advanced stage, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy are performed as treatments.

The treatment of breast cancer depends on the stage and type of breast cancer. Other important aspects to come to a conclusion on the type of treatment are the health of the patient along with her age. Though the lumps are not always cancerous, if detected, you should go for a detailed check-up to rule out any possibility of breast cancer.