What is the chance of recovery from breast cancer?
Breast cancer is basically a curable disease – but in some patients it is fatal. The chances of a cure for breast cancer vary greatly from person to person and depend on many factors. For example:
- The age of the patient: Patients younger than 35 are more likely to suffer recurrences and generally have a less favorable prognosis than older patients.
- Type of breast cancer: there are different types of breast cancer. Some are more curable than others. For example, inflammatory breast carcinoma generally has an unfavorable prognosis, while tubular breast carcinoma has a particularly favorable prognosis.
There are a number of other factors that influence the chances of cure. These include, for example, the tumor’s degree of degeneration and so-called predicative factors.
Degeneration grade (“grading”) of the tumor
G1 tumors are the least degenerated. They are still very similar to the original tissue, i.e. well differentiated. G1 tumor cells usually grow slowly and less aggressively. This usually has a positive effect on the chances of curing breast cancer.
The situation is quite different for severely degenerated breast carcinomas (G3 tumors): Their cells are poorly differentiated, usually grow quickly and aggressively invade surrounding tissue – this worsens the chances of cure.
Predictive factors
Each breast carcinoma has certain characteristics that determine its growth and vary from patient to patient. For example, some have very many hormone receptors and/or HER2 receptors on the surface of their cells, while others do not.
What is the prognosis of breast cancer at each stage?
Breast cancer is divided into five different stages, depending on how large the tumors are, how they affect surrounding tissue, and whether or to what extent they have formed daughter tumors. The scale goes from 0 to IV, with IV being the highest stage.
However, the chances of cure and survival vary greatly and depend on the interaction of several factors – not solely on breast cancer stage.
Breast cancer: local recurrence and metastases
Some patients develop a local recurrence after treatment has been completed. This means that the tumor returns at the same site.
