The overall average of five-year survival rate for women who contract breast cancer is around 86% for those whose disease has not metastasized. That means, 86% of the women who contract it survive for at least five years. But even that fairly high number is just an overall average. The numbers are even better for some categories. Those numbers depend on the stage at which the cancer is detected and treated.

Breast cancer, like others, develops in stages. Those stages are lettered and numbered according a now-standard classification of T, N and M and a scale from 0-IV. T indicates tumor size, N spread to lymph nodes and M distant metastasis. Metastasis is spreading of a primary tumor to secondary areas forming tumors of the same type.

Tumors that are labeled as TX are not able to be assessed. T0 means that no evidence of cancer exists. Tis means that the person in question has a cancer that could be one of three different cancer types: DCIS (ductal carcinoma situ), LCIS (lobular carcinoma in situ) or even Paget's disease. Paget's disease is an extremely rare cancer in which the nipple and/or areola itself is actually cancerous.

Cancers in Stage 0 are in the earliest possible stage. In cancers that are Stage I, the tumors are fewer than 2cm in size and have yet to spread. Stage II cancer means that a tumor has grown to 2-5cm in diameter, and Stage III tumors are larger than 5cm. If an individual has a tumor that is stage IV then it is attached to the chest wall, and has typically spread to the individual's lymph nodes.

Because of the advances in diagnosis and treatment techniques many individuals are able to catch their cancer and eliminate it in the earliest stages.

For those women and men treated in Stage 0 or I the average five year survival rates are roughly 100%. Yes, men get breast cancer too, albeit at about 1/133 the rate of women. Even Stage II sufferers have a survival rate between 81%-92%. It isn't until Stage III that the rate dips to 67%. For Stage IV it is approximately 20%.

It is always possible for men and women to beat the odds that are against them. Even individuals who are in their later stages of cancer are capable of surviving for even lengthier periods than expected, even more than seven years. Because of the technological advances in both diagnostic methods and treatment techniques individual's odds are significantly improving.

One new method of diagnosis is the QM-MSP (quantitative multiplex metylation-specific PCR). This technique was discovered in 2001. It is a chemical test that draws fluid from the breast in question. The fluid is then analyzed for certain chemicals attached to certain genes. Cancer clumps that contain as few as 50 cells are capable of being detected with an 86% rate of accuracy. These new methods make the detection of cancer simple, thus improving the chances that an individual's treatment will be successful.

Treatments are becoming better. Hormone therapy, molecule specific drugs, and targeted radiation are all now available. These amazing methods are capable of saving the lives of many individuals.

Breast cancer is never pleasant. It will always be a serious condition. Breast cancer doesn't really have to be life threatening or even something that permanently scars; breast cancer doesn't necessarily kill people any longer.

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