Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer in women, second only to skin cancer, reports the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Doctors describe the progression of skin cancer by assigning a tumor to a stage, of which stage 3 aggressive breast cancer is the second most advanced.

Types

There are two sub-types of stage 3 aggressive breast cancer--Type A and Type B with type B being a more advanced carcinoma or tumor than Type A.

Lymph Nodes

Lymph nodes are small organs found throughout your body that help your body fight infection. In stage 3 aggressive breast cancer, the tumor has typically grown beyond your breast and entered into between one and nine of these small organs.

Location

In addition to your lymph nodes being affected, stage 3 aggressive breast cancer may also involve a the tumor growing into the tissue that makes up your chest. If the carcinoma moves beyond the chest wall area and the lymph nodes into other organs in your body, the cancer is no longer considered stage 3 and becomes classified as stage 4.

Size

If a breast carcinoma is larger than 5 cm in diameter, doctors classify it as stage 3 aggressive breast cancer, even if it has not affected any lymph nodes or moved into the chest area, explains the American Cancer Society.

Prognosis

Approximately 58 percent of patients who receive a diagnosis of stage 3 aggressive breast cancer survive for five years, reports the American Cancer Society.

Source:

How is Breast Cancer Staged?

Breast Cancer Statistics