 | TX: the primary breast cancer cannot be (or has not yet been) found
or sized/measured |
| Tis: this indicates non-invasive breast cancer |
| Tis (DCIS): non-invasive cancer & variously also called ductal
CIS & d-CIS |
| Tis (LCIS): non-invasive cancer & variously also called lobular
CIS & l-CIS |
| Tis (Paget's): Paget's disease of the skin/nipple (breast cancer
cells in the skin-surface epidermal membrane) when there is no associated invasive breast
cancer within that breast. |
| T1: the tumor is 2 cm. (centimeters) or less in greatest dimension
[determination of tumor size can be tricky: imaging studies can suggest that a tumor is only 1.9 cm., but
really careful pathology studies may ultimately show that it is actually 4.0 cm.]
 | T1mic: microinvasive, 0.1 cm. or less in greatest dimension (1/32nd
of an inch) |
| T1a: tumor greater than 0.1 cm., up to 0.5 cm. (up to almost 3/16ths
of an inch) |
| T1b: tumor greater than 0.5 cm., up to 1.0 cm. |
| T1c: tumor greater than 1.0 cm., up to 2.0 cm. (a dime is 1.8 cm; a
penny is 1.9 cm) |
|
| T2: tumor greater than 2.0 cm. & up to 5 cm. (a quarter is barely
less than 2.5 cm) |
| T3: tumor greater than 5.0 cm. in maximum size |
| T4: tumor of any size that ALSO "involves" skin and/or chest wall
(there is continuing debate as to whether clinical signs below or histologic
presence constitutes "involves"4):
| T4a: either directly extends into chest-wall tissue (not including
pectoralis muscle [pectoralis invasion does not affect the T ]...chest wall
tissue includes ribs & periostium & perchondrium, intercostal muscles
& investing soft tissue, and serratus anterior muscle); or, |
| T4b: clinically obvious classical skin changes (ulceration,
edema, peau d‘orange and satellite skin nodules...mere
retraction or dimpling does not count4)& ca. directly extends into
skin...that
is, apparently, skin involvement without "inflammatory"
clinical or histologic features is not consequential beyond size3 & the tumor
size is the categorizer for T;
or, |
| T4c: is combined T4a and T4b; or, |
| T4d: is "inflammatory carcinoma," defined as "diffuse brawny induration of the skin of the breast with an erysipeloid
[red/dark & warm/inflamed] edge, usually without an underlying palpable mass." |
|
| NX: node status can not be (or has not been) assessed |
| N0: negative lymph nodes
| pN0: negative by H&E only |
| pN0(i-): H&E and IHC negative |
| pN0(i+): H&E neg and IHC pos; no ca. cell cluster bigger than 0.2 mm |
| pN0(mol-): H&E and molecular negative |
| pN0(mol+): H&E neg & molecular pos. |
|
| N1: 1-3 separately positive, movable, clinically negative nodes
| pN1mi: micromet. >0.2, none >2 mm. |
| pN1a: mets 1-3 axillary nodes |
| pN1b: mets in int. mammary nodes |
| pNic: mets in ax. & int. mammary nodes |
|
| N2: 4-9 positive axillary nodes; or, clinically pos.
internal mammary node (s) with neg. axillary
| pN2a: 4-9 axillary pos. nodes, at least one met being bigger than 2mm |
| pN2b: positive clinically pos. int. mammary node (s) with neg. axillary
nodes |
|
| N3: 10 or more pos. axillary nodes; or, pos. infra-clavicular node
(s); or, positive clinically pos. internal mammary node (s) in presence
of greater than 3 nodes pos. axillary; or, greater than 3 pos. axillary nodes
with clinically neg. internal mammary nodes
| pN3a: 10 or more pos. axillary nodes, with at least one deposit being
larger than 2mm; or, pos. infra-clavicular node (s) |
| pN3b: clinically positive internal mammary nodes that are positive &
in association with one or more positive axillary nodes; or, more
than 3 positive axillary nodes plus clinically negative but
microscopically positive internal mammary nodes. |
| pN3c: positive supra-clavicular node (s) |
|
