Stage IIIb or Stage IIIC?

lostinmo

Hello All,

I know I need to ask my MO this on Monday but thought I'd toss it out here over the weekend.  When I first saw my Mo he told me I was classified as Stage lll, skin involement, node involvement. I knew nodes under my are were involved saw that on mamo. Yesterday I went for treatment and saw the Dr.  For the first time actually saw what was wrote on my sheet. Stage lllC. Does this mean more nodes were involed that I first believed? I have had no surgery, doing chemo first. In the grand scheme of things how does this affect things?

thanks for any input. 

Moderators

Hi lostinmo,

There is a helpful page on the main Breastcancer.org site on Stages of Breast Cancer that explain the differences of IIIB and IIIC for you. As always, it's best to clear things up with your doctor.

Hope this helps!

--The Mods

Josiekat

It really doesn't mean very much. It's just another way the docs look at how to treat us. I am IIIC and I don't really think of it as very different between A and C. The IIIc diagnosis is a relatively new thing to breast cancer, so what was once a B diagnosis, now has a new name.

Good luck to you! There are many really helpful and caring women on this site.

Cheers.

lkc

Hi there,Stage IIIC is a relatively new classification.It doesn't really mean that much. All us stage III ladies ge the big guns, which is ultimately A GOOD  thing in the long run.

Sian65

Stage IIIB is now for IBC only.  The difference between IIIA & IIIC is the number of lymp nodes (10+ for IIIC).  My onc told me the difference between the two is very important.

ali68

I'm not sure what stage 3 I am, I have 2.3cm lump on breast, 8 or 9 cancerous lymph nodes in armpit and all around my Collarbone. Also I have read it can be classed as stage 4 because of it spreading to lymph nodes.

Josiekat

Hi Ali.

You are 3C, because it is locally advanced and hasn't spread to distant sites.

I too have nodes that are "off the beaten path", this makes us 3C, regardless of how many nodes are in Axilla.

I met with the rad Onc last week. He is excited to blast the nodes that can't be removed.

They will radiate all the way up my neck, in case any rogue cells got loose.

Cheers, Jo

ali68

Hi Josiekat, thanks for that how did you do with chemo did yours shrink well. Have you had surgery and what did you have? i have scan on 23rd May then surgery on 19th June i think LX. I can't feel my lumps anymore even my golf ball in armpit.

ali68

Josiekat, omg i remember now you are the only other stage 3 person having Lumpectomy. I'm really sorry my brain is so bad since chemo i keep forgetting everything. I even forgot my youngest daughters birthday but remembered a few days before. So have you had Lumpectomy how was it.

lostinmo

Thanks guys.  Guess I really just don't know how many nodes I have involved. But I thought he'd had said my scans were clear in other areas.  

Sorry if I'm not making much sense, chemo was Friday and today just sucks.      Tomorrow wil be better. 

vacationbound

A doctor does not truly know what stage you are until the pathology report is final.

lostinmo

The only pathology report at this time is of the original biopsy. The only other tests were a bone scan and a ct scan.

lkc

 There ae 2 different scenarios for staging;

1.There is clinical staging used for neoadjuvant chemo, and pathological staging which is adjuvant staging with neoadjuvant( before surgery),  the docs only have the clinical findings, palpable tumor and nodes, scans, so a staging is determined based on clinical findings   PRIOR to Chemo & surgery.

2.Adjuvant:  Surgery first ;  definitive  tumor size and lymph node involvement based on Pathology report at Surgery BEFORE chemo.

luv_gardening

Stage IIIC describes invasive breast cancer in which:

-there may be no sign of cancer in the breast or, if there is a tumor, it may be any size and may have spread to the chest wall and/or the skin of the breast AND
-the cancer has spread to lymph nodes above or below the collarbone AND
-the cancer may have spread to axillary lymph nodes or to lymph nodes near the breastbone

The above explanation is on the BCO link above.

Using TNM, (Tumor, Nodes, Mets), having 9 or more nodes (N3) makes it Stage IIIc.  This system is apparently used more for clinical trials.

Stage IIIA: T0, N2, M0  and   T1*, N2, M0   and   T2, N2, M0   and  T3, N1, M0   and  T3, N2, M0
Stage IIIB:  T4, N0, M0  and  T4, N1, M0   and   T4, N2, M0
Stage IIIC: Any T, N3, M0
 

tuffgirl

Hi there lost in mo  (love your name!) I am a Stage IIIC by the posting the mods refer to. Sometimes I get scared.  But then I remember, Hey! I'm nearly 5 years out and have no observable reason to be panicked except for that darnged IIIB rating!

Sometimes now I talk about it with people I didn't know back then and they assume I was lesser staged because I am not completely freaked out and seem to be doing normal. (Actually thriving because I bought a fabulous vacation place assuming my onc. saying I was really not not doing well and I was , well, going to kick the bucket in the near future, was correct. Not so ! and in fact I am typing from my place on the wild west coast of North America. And while I had cancer I also got the world's best promotion in my job to afford it!!!) 

It been said but it's true that you are not a statistic! 

I hated people who said that to me 5 years ago...funnily!! If there is one thing I can stress is that it is really alright to be an optimist! ! all the best, courage, take care M