When a patient is just diagnosed with breast cancer, patients and family members often ask me a question like in movies and TV shows, “Doctor! Is my disease still hopeful, is it early or late?” It is actually difficult to answer this question strictly, so I often answer them, “Don’t worry, admitting you to the inpatient unit means there is still a lot of hope.” The progression of breast cancer is strictly divided into 4 stages within the profession. stage 1 to stage 4 represents the early and late stages of disease progression. stage 1 patients have the mildest disease and the best treatment results. When the disease reaches stage 4, the patient has lost the chance to cure the cancer. In fact, the vast majority of breast cancers are at a curable stage when they are first diagnosed. Here are the specific staging methods Stage I: tumor diameter less than 2 cm, no lymph node and distant metastasis Stage II: tumor diameter 2-5 cm, with ipsilateral axillary lymph node metastasis, no distant metastasis; or tumor diameter greater than 5 cm, no lymph node and distant metastasis Stage III: tumor, regardless of size, directly invades chest wall and skin, no lymph node and distant metastasis; or tumor, regardless of size, with ipsilateral internal breast lymph node metastasis, no distant metastasis Stage IV: tumor regardless of size, lymph nodes may or may not have metastasis, but distant metastasis.