Breast Cancer: Symptoms, Types, Causes & Treatment
Cancer Stages And Their Survival Rates As King Charles III Diagnosed With Disease
King Charles diagnosed with cancer, Palace announcesCancer is a disease that occurs when abnormal cells grow and divide in an uncontrolled way. These cells can then spread to nearby tissue and organs causing further damage.
As reported, King Charles III is currently receiving treatment for cancer. It is not yet known publicly what form of the disease he has but it was detected during treatment for his benign prostate condition.
As a result, the palace has confirmed that he will be taking a step back from public-facing duties - less than 18 months into his reign
When speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the cancer was "caught early". The earlier cancer is caught, the better chance of survival there is.
In fact there are official stages of cancer used when a person is diagnosed to determine how far the disease has spread. They are as follows, according to the NHS.
This stage is applicable to cancer that is present only in the layer of cells in which it began and has not gone on to spread to surrounding tissues.
It is considered non-invasive, meaning it hasn't invaded other tissues, and is typically highly treatable and survivable.
Stage 1This is another early stage of cancer. At this point the disease is small and likely has not spread beyond its original site.
However, it has grown deeper into nearby tissues than stage 0.
Luckily, treatment is usually highly effective and the outcome is generally good.
Stage 2 and stage 3These stages refer to much more extensive cancer growth or spread.
The cancer is larger and may have spread to nearby lymph nodes or tissues, but not to distant parts of the body.
Treatment for these stages is more complex and may involve a combination of surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy.
Survival rates will depend on the type of cancer, and can vary from nearly 90 percent for some, but as low as 60 percent for others.
Stage 4As the numerical system indicates, this is the most advanced stage of cancer.
This means that the cancer has spread to distant organs and/or other parts of the body.
You might also hear it referred to as metastatic cancer.
Treatment at this stage needs to be highly aggressive to stop it from becoming terminal.
Again, survival rates depend on the type of cancer someone has.
The five-year survival rate of stage 4 cancer ranges from 31 percent for breast cancer, to just 6.6 percent for stomach cancer.
SymptomsCancer symptoms typically depend on the type of cancer you have, however, there are some more general signs that can apply to many different types:
Stage 3 Bladder Cancer: What To Expect
If you have stage 3 bladder cancer, it means that cancer has spread into tissue outside your bladder. Stage 3 bladder cancer is treated with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, and has a 5-year survival rate of 39%.
Bladder cancer is cancer that starts in the bladder or lining of the bladder.
Cancer can spread (metastasize) into nearby tissue, or it can use the blood or lymph system to spread to distant sites. Cancer is staged according to how far cancer cells may have spread.
In stage 3 bladder cancer, cancerous tissue has grown in areas beyond the bladder. In females, it may have spread to their uterus or vagina. In males, it may have spread to their prostate or seminal vesicles.
But in stage 3, the cancer hasn't reached distant sites. Learn more about the other types of bladder cancer.
Though stage 3 bladder cancer is advanced, it can be successfully treated.
In earlier stages, you probably had some blood in your urine and changes to urinary and bowel habits. In this advanced stage, you may also experience:
The standard treatment for stage 3 bladder cancer is surgery, usually in combination with other therapies.
Be sure to discuss your treatment goals with your doctor. Assess all the potential benefits and risks of each therapy. Some treatments aim for a cure. Others work to slow progression or relieve symptoms. The recommended treatment may depend on your overall health.
If cancer continues to progress or comes back during treatment, you may have to reconsider your options.
Radical cystectomyThis surgical procedure requires general anesthesia and a hospital stay. It involves removing the bladder and surrounding tissues through an abdominal incision or laparoscopically.
In women, the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, anterior vaginal wall, and urethra are removed. In men, the prostate and seminal vesicles are removed. Nearby lymph nodes may also be removed.
You'll need reconstructive surgery to create a new way to store and pass urine, which can be accomplished in several ways:
Risks of surgery include infection, blood clots, and damage to nearby organs. Some post-surgical pain can be expected, and you may experience some sexual dysfunction.
ChemotherapyChemotherapy drugs are given intravenously over several months. This can be done before surgery (a technique called neoadjuvant therapy) to shrink the tumor and get the powerful cancer-killing drugs into your system right away.
Chemotherapy can also be used after surgery (as adjuvant therapy) to destroy any cancer cells that were missed during surgery.
If the cancer is inoperable or you can't tolerate surgery, chemotherapy alone or in combination with radiation can be used as your primary treatment. Among the side effects are nausea, hair loss, and fatigue.
RadiationExternal beam radiation therapy is normally given 5 days a week for several weeks. Radiation kills cancer cells in a targeted area of your body. It's usually used in combination with chemotherapy but can be used alone if you can't tolerate chemotherapy. Side effects include skin irritation and fatigue.
Radiation can also be used for symptom relief.
Immune checkpoint inhibitorsCheckpoint inhibitors are a class of drugs that harness the immune system to attack cancer cells. These medicines are given intravenously every 2 or 3 weeks. Side effects may include fatigue, nausea, and urinary tract infections.
Supportive careMedications and other treatments can help control side effects and improve quality of life.
Clinical trialClinical trials are used to test experimental treatments. Ask your doctor for information on trials that might be a good fit for you.
Complications of bladder tumor may include:
Complications of the surgery can include:
When there's no sign of cancer, you're in a state of remission. Even if you've finished treatment, you'll need plenty of follow-up care. Your doctor will provide a plan for recovery, which may include:
When considering outlook, it's important to keep in mind that this is a very individual thing. Your doctor has a lot to consider when discussing your outlook, including:
Using data compiled from 2012–2018, the 5-year relative survival rate for stage 3 bladder cancer is about 39%. Cancer treatments are rapidly improving, so remember that this is only an estimate and doesn't include more recent data.
If you or a loved one is living with stage 3 bladder cancer, you don't have to go through it alone. Talk with your family and friends, and ask for the help you need. You might also find it helpful to look into support groups where you can connect with others who have cancer.
Your oncologist or treatment center can provide information about support groups and other resources in your area. In the meantime, here are some ways to get started:
Cancer Stages, Survival Rates And What A Diagnosis Really Means
The world is still reeling in shock and sympathy from King Charles's diagnosis. Understandably, the question on most people's lips is: how serious is it? Right now, owing to a lack of information available, many well-wishers are unable to draw a conclusion.
For any cancer diagnosis, there are several factors which determine how serious an illness is likely to be.
Dr Sarah Levy, a GP who practises in Wigston, Leicestershire, says: "It's important to emphasise that this is very much a simplification and cancer isn't simple. But there are six things we need to know."
1. Where the cancer is in the body"There are different survival rates, which depend on where the cancer is growing," says Dr Levy. "For example, bladder cancer has better survival rates than pancreatic cancer, mainly because it tends to be picked up earlier."
According to the Nuffield Trust, the cancers with the lowest five-year survival estimates are mesothelioma (7.2 per cent), pancreatic cancer (7.3 per cent) and brain cancer (13 per cent). The highest five-year survival estimates were seen in patients with testicular cancer (97 per cent), melanoma of skin (92 per cent) and prostate cancer (88 per cent). The Palace has already announced that King Charles does not have prostate cancer.
2. The histology – or what type of cancer it isTake, for example, lung cancer. The most common forms of lung cancer are squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma or large-cell carcinoma, which account for about 85 per cent of diagnoses. "These have a better prognosis than small-cell lung cancer, a less common form that usually spreads more quickly," says Dr Levy.
The type of cancer you have determines the treatments recommended to you.
3. How large or advanced it isMany cancers are graded by numbers from stage zero (where the cancer is where it started, or is "in situ") to stage one, when it is small; stage two, when it has grown and not spread; and stage three, when it may have spread. Stage four is the name given to cancer that has spread to at least one other organ.
"Bowel cancer is graded by something called Dukes' stages," explains Dr Levy. "Here, the stages determine how far it's advanced through the bowel wall. You might hear your doctor talking about your bowel cancer as Dukes' stage A, B, C or D."
Stage four is the name given to cancer that has spread to at least one other body organ - praetorianphoto
According to Cancer Research UK, Dukes' A means the cancer is in the inner lining of the bowel, or slightly growing into the muscle layer. In stage B, it has grown through the muscle layer of the bowel. If it has spread to at least one lymph node close to the bowel, it is stage C. Dukes' stage D is the most serious: this means the cancer has spread to another part of the body, such as the liver, lungs or bones.
In the number staging system used for other cancers, this is the same as stage four.
4. How aggressive it isWhich is not the same as how advanced it is. "In general, a lower grade indicates a slower-growing cancer and a higher grade indicates a more aggressive one," says Dr Levy.
The grading system is determined by looking at cells under a microscope. The different grades are as follows:
Grade 1 – cancer cells that resemble normal cells and aren't growing rapidly
Grade 2 – cancer cells that don't look like normal cells and are growing faster than normal cells
Grade 3 – cancer cells that look abnormal and may grow or spread more aggressively
5. Whether the cancer has metastasised"This means that the cancer has advanced or spread around the body," says Dr Levy.
The place where a cancer starts in the body is called the primary cancer. "Sometimes cells break away from the primary cancer and are carried in the bloodstream or through the lymphatic system to another part of the body," says the cancer charity Macmillan. "When these cancer cells reach another part of the body, they may grow and form another tumour. This is called a secondary cancer or a metastasis."
Secondary cancer is far more serious than primary cancer. "In a small number of situations, it is possible to cure a secondary cancer. However, in most cases it is not curable," say Macmillan. "The aim of treatment is to control the cancer and manage any symptoms."
6. How healthy the patient is, in general"A patient has to be well enough to tolerate surgery or chemotherapy, which can often be nasty," says Dr Levy. "Some chemotherapy drugs carry a higher risk of heart problems in people who already have heart problems." Sometimes the risk is higher if you take a higher dose of the drug.
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