What is staging of male breast cancer?
Staging is carried out to determine the extent to which a cancer has spread within the body. Staging of breast cancer in men is carried out identically to the staging of breast cancer in women. The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM system takes into account the tumor size, lymph node involvement by cancer, and presence of metastasis: • T: tumor size and extent of local spread • N: extent of tumor involvement of lymph nodes in the axillary (underarm) region. Since the nipple area is rich in lymphatic vessels, male breast cancer commonly spreads via the lymphatic channels to the axillary lymph nodes (When the tumor has spread to the lymph nodes, doctors sometimes use the term “lymph node-positive” cancer). • M: presence of distant metastases (spread to other parts of the body through the bloodstream or lymphatic vessels) Stage 0 Stage 0 refers to intraductal carcinoma, in which the cancer cells have not spread beyond the boundaries of the ducts themselves. Stage I In Stage I
