Am I stage III OR IV?

Jen40

I had a question about stages. My doctor never really said what stage I was only locally advanced.

If my cancer was also presenting with cancer in the lymph nodes and superclavical would that not be stage 4? Not even sure why I am dwelling on this.

marie5890

My understanding it's having mets that makes it stage IV. I could be wrong, however

SeanE

M. D. Anderson would view that as stage III-B, as long as it is on the same side as the breast with cancer.

Jen40

SherriG thanks that looks like I'm IIIc as originally thought. I had just come across info on the net that positive on the superclavical was stage 4. I really should just not look at this kind of thing anymore. Just scared of moving on and this wait and see stage I am in right now. thanks for your comments everyone.

Latte

hi jadlaz,

i think the reason you saw info on the net that "supraclavicular nodes = stage IV" is because it used to be. but then at some point the staging guidelines were changed and it was changed to IIIc (something about because they saw that the prognosis was more like a stage III than IV). I don't remember where i read this, but i also had a positive supraclavicular node and did a lot of reading at the time.

lkc

Hi there! I was a STAGE IIIC  girl back in May 2005. and yes they did change the staging to add the C classificTION.

Stage IV means distant mets, ie: bones, organs...

I was hangiing in there back then and am happy to report I am still NED.

God  Bless you .

 there in no reason why you can't be where I am