4 stages of breast cancer development

The development of breast cancer cells in the human body takes a long time. It is mainly divided into four stages: latent stage, early invasive cancer, invasive cancer stage (advanced breast cancer) and late breast cancer.

1. Latent stage: Also known as the early stage of cancer, it lasts about 6 to 20 years. During this development process, the breast cells of the human body undergo canceration and carcinoma in situ, which is also the development process of early invasive cancer.

2. Early invasive cancer: refers to the period when cancer cells begin to break through the basement membrane of the breast duct epithelium and infiltrate into the stroma. It is different from carcinoma in situ and general invasive cancer. There are scattered cancer cell nests in the visible breast stroma, which can be divided into two categories: early invasive lobular carcinoma and ductal carcinoma.

3. Invasive cancer stage (advanced breast cancer): In this stage, cancer cells begin to widely infiltrate the breast stroma. Cancer tissue and stroma are mixed with each other, forming a variable pathological image. The probability of lymph node tuberculosis and blood metastasis increases significantly. The tumor develops rapidly during this period, and the diameter of the tumor grows from less than 1 cm to more than 5 cm. It is also called advanced breast cancer.

4. Advanced breast cancer: At this stage, the tumor has developed to a very serious degree. Most patients will have varying degrees of cancer metastasis. If not treated in time, the cancer cells will spread widely, mainly to the lungs, liver, bones, etc., which may seriously endanger the patient's life.