Many people diagnosed with breast cancer are interested in knowing the stage of their cancer. A breast cancer stage is a way of saying how large a cancer is and whether it has spread. The stage also is one piece of information the healthcare team uses to understand the chances that treatment will be successful.

Your breast cancer stage can't tell your future, but it might help you understand more about your outlook. If you're interested in knowing your stage, here's some basic information about breast cancer staging to help you get ready to talk about it with your healthcare team.