Ok now I feel dumb...

Hello.  I sometimes see the node numbers on stage II-ers and see that they are really stage III-ers. I will tell you there is not much difference between a stage IIb and a stage IIIa in a lot of cases.  It is the number of nodes or tumor size that will put you in the stage III area.  1-3 nodes, stage II and any more stage IIIa.  I like to consider myself as one lymph node into IIIa.  Without that node, I would have been stage IIa. It does bother me.  On the internet, everywhere I look, I am a stage II.  And they changed the whole staging system right before we were diagnosed.  I used to be a stage II.  Does this not drive you crazy?  Yet it is still bothersome to me.  I like to think of staging determining our treatment plan and that is all really.  I'm glad it didn't bother you all that much and that you are doing well.  Our diagnosis time is about the same.  And I have responded in the past to you as I was considered weakly PR+.  I have it negative as they told me I was not clinically + (less than 10% of cells). "Late welcome" to the stage III forum!  I have seen on here that it seems to be somewhat of a crap-shoot as to who does well in terms of having a recurrence. We just have to live in today as best as we can right? 

Hi Letlet,

First, congratulations on finishing treatment! My diagnosis went from IIA to IIB to finally IIIA. My onc said it is still early stage but locally advanced because of lymph node involvement. Like Kathleen, I also like to think that staging is just to determine the treatment plan. I'm sure your onc recommended a treatment plan that is right for you.

I am three years away from diagnosis and will tell you that things really do get better with time. Welcome to the Stage III forum.  Take care. 

I totally understand how you feel. I was a stage 2 at dx with 2 positive nodes. After a full dissection and another 5, they still said stage 2. I'm not going to argue. Now many docs. aren't doing node dissections after a + sentinel node biopsy. So I would think staging will be effected.  In fact, my onc. recommended I not have a full node dissection. He said it wouldn't change my protocol. My 2nd opinion at a university hospital said a node dissection was standard practice. Within three months of my dissection, the new reports were coming out saying chemo and rads were as effective.

 Anyway, I relate to more ladies on this board because of the +nodes. But if my onc.'s want to call it stage 2 -- okey dokey, whatever.

Hugs,

Rachel 

It is all very confusing, and more so if you had neo-adjuvant treatment, then you never really get properly staged. Officially, staging happens at the time of surgery apparently. ??  So even if you had mets and the treatment makes them recede and disappear by the time of surgery, you are then classed without them in the same staging-group as people who never had them, HOW WIERD!!  But also because mucinous tumours are "large for dates" to use a baby analogy, LOL, size really isn't everything.  They initially told me the nodes were okay; then at surgery I had a very close chest wall margin (basically zero but not, they said, actually infiltrated ....  yet -??) and also one of the nodes was not as nice as it could have been; although they were calling it clear, there were signs that it had been bad earlier before the neo-adj  So it seems I could have been considered  anywhere 2a-2b-3... can you get locally advanced early stage?? no wonder I'm confused! 

I think the TNM classification also helps, as "TNM-300" which is how I'm labelling myself (as mental shorthand for the various combined possibilities of  T2-3,N0-+,M0) is a fairly unusual combination,.but it's the M0 that makes the biggest difference. No mets today, please and thankyou!

I get what you are going through also. I was diagnosed as stage 3c and then a radiologist who read one of my ct scans said I was stage 4. I totally freaked out! My mo and surgeon said I still fit into stage 3, but I have one or two positive nodes just under the im nodes that could qualify me as stage 4, but they are not quite. I don't really get it, but I am going with stage 3, as my mo says it is still local. Last pet scan came back showing no active nodes! CT scan showed 90% reduction. After I finish chemo I will have rads to all the areas with positive nodes. Still scary though, as these nodes are inoperable, but still considered local.