The earlier a cancer is spotted, the higher the chance of successful treatment, the World Health Organisation says.
That’s partly why doctors have invented systems, like the TNM (tumour, node, and metastasis) staging system and the number staging system, to communicate how far a cancer has progressed.
Many of us are familiar with terms like “stage one” cancer.
But Cancer Research UK says that there’s also “Carcinoma in situ [which] is sometimes called stage 0 cancer or ‘in situ neoplasm.’”
Recently, Beyoncé and Solange’s mother Tina Knowles told People about her breast cancer diagnosis following a missed mammogram, revealing, “I didn’t know that there was a stage 0. I could have caught this at stage 0 if I had not missed my mammogram.”
Here’s what the term really means and how it may be treated.
Stage 0 cancer happens before a tumour forms
Cancer Research UK says that stage zero cancer refers to a group of cells which are acting abnormally.
When spotted in breast tissue, it’s called ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS.
Stage 0 cells have not yet formed a tumour, but the changes seen in them (dysplasia) may lead to cancer in the future.
They can be very hard to spot because the area they affect is so small, but skin, cervical, and breast cancer screenings can sometimes reveal stage 0 cells.
Many areas containing stage 0 cancer cells never actually turn cancerous, Cancer Research UK adds.
That’s why some experts call stage 0 cancer ”‘precancerous changes’ or ‘non-invasive cancer.’”
Stage 0 cancer is cancer because the changes are limited to a small group of cells and have not yet spread to any tissue.
However, they increase your likelihood of developing cancer near the area where they are found.
DCIS, or stage 0 breast cancer, accounts for about 20% of all newly diagnosed breast cancer cases, the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) says.
The American Cancer Society says that those diagnosed with stage 0 breast cancer have a 99% relative five-year survival rate.
What happens after a stage 0 cancer diagnosis?
Stage 0 cancer does not always lead to treatment.
The NBCF says that the condition, which often has “no symptoms,” isn’t always treated.
Sometimes, doctors will just monitor the patient.
But it’s often seen as a good idea to treat someone with stage 0 cancer through things like radiation, hormonal therapy, hormonal therapy, or a combination of the above so that the abnormal cells don’t get a chance to spread and become cancer.
“When caught and treated early, the prognosis for recovery from stage 0 breast cancer is excellent,” the NBCF adds.
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