What are the Types of Breast Cancer?
When
breast cells change and begin to multiply at an excessively fast rate, they
crowd out healthy tissue and become malignant. The abnormal cells form a dense
mass that may be seen on mammography or feel like a lump in your breast. Breast
cancer usually begins in the ducts (the passageways that milk passes through to
reach the nipple) or the lobules (areas where milk is produced).
The
majority of the time, cancer is detected after it has spread beyond the duct or
lobule where it began. It's classified as invasive at this point. Cancer is
deemed to have metastasized if it has moved beyond the breast to lymph nodes or
other regions of the body. If left untreated, it may eventually spread to a
crucial organ such as the liver, brain, or lungs. Breast cancer is classified
into types, and the type will influence treatment options.
Invasive
(or infiltrating) cancer
Approximately
three-quarters of invasive breast cancers begin in the ducts. This type of
cancer is known as infiltrating ductal carcinoma, and it differs from
non-invasive ductal carcinoma. Infiltrating lobular carcinoma is a type of
invasive lobular carcinoma that begins in the lobules. The second type, which
is usually more aggressive, can reoccur in the opposite breast. You may notice
a hard, irregularly shaped lump made up of fibrous tissue encasing a clump of
malignant cells if you have either type. However, some cancers are too tiny to
feel and can only be detected via mammography.
The
type of treatment necessary is determined on how far the disease has advanced.
To remove the tumour, the great majority of patients will require surgery. Some
lymph nodes may also be removed by the surgeon. Chemotherapy, hormone therapy,
or radiation therapy may be used to treat the condition. Chemo and hormone
treatments are used to eliminate any cells that have gone undiscovered
throughout the body.
Certain
types of invasive breast cancer, such as ductal and lobular, are less deadly
than the more prevalent ductal and lobular types. Although it's invasive,
medullary breast cancer has a fair prognosis because the disease and healthy
surrounding tissue are clearly separated. Mucinous carcinoma, which is
characterised by mucus-forming cancer cells, is also less dangerous. Tubular
carcinoma is a type of breast cancer that is invasive but not as severe as
lobular or ductal cancer. It accounts for around 2% of all breast cancers. It
gets its name from its distinct, easily distinguishable aberrant cells.
Non-invasive
(or in situ) cancer
Non-invasive
breast cancer accounts for about 20% of all breast cancers. A malignant
development in a breast duct is known as ductal carcinoma in situ. Lobular
cancer in situ is not the same as lobular carcinoma in situ. It's thought to be
a marker for cancer rather than real cancer, as it's signalled by aberrant
cells in the lobules of the breast. It isn't harmful in and of itself, but it
raises your risk of acquiring invasive cancer in either breast at some time in your
life, therefore the breast without the carcinoma in situ should be monitored as
well.
Drs.
Yashar Hirshaut and Peter I. Pressman underline in their book Breast Cancer:
The Complete Guide that therapy will be determined not only by the type of
cancer but also by its size and extent of spread. A "local" cancer is
limited to the breast, though it may exist in multiple locations inside that
breast; "regional" means cancer has progressed to the lymph nodes;
and "distant" means cancer has migrated to other areas of the body.
Paget's
disease of the nipple
Paget's
disease is a slow-growing nipple cancer that makes up less than 1% of all
breast cancers. The milk ducts are where the tumour begins. A prolonged
redness, a nipple sore that won't heal, or a discharge that causes the nipple to
itch and burn are all possible symptoms. Only one nipple is usually impacted.
The nipple and some surrounding tissue may be removed, and you may be subjected
to radiation therapy. More intensive therapy may be required if the cancer is
associated to a tumour deep in the breast.
Inflammatory
breast cancer
Only
about 1% to 5% of all occurrences of breast cancer are this deadly type. One or
both of your breasts may become swelled, red, and hot, with an orange-peel feel
to the skin; lumps that resemble hives may also appear. This cancer invades the
lymph veins in the skin of the breast and behind the arms, but it also
frequently travels to the lymph nodes, where it can quickly spread. The
importance of early therapy cannot be overstated.
Phyllodes
tumour
Rather
than the glands, this type of cancer begins in the soft tissue, connective
tissue, or underlying muscle of the breast (the ducts and lobules). The most
common treatment for this exceedingly rare type of cancer, which does not react
well to chemotherapy, is a lumpectomy or mastectomy.
How
can the doctor assess how far my cancer has progressed?
The
location of the main tumor, the size and number of tumors, whether the tumor
has migrated to neighboring lymph nodes, the cell type and tumor grade, and
if it has metastasized to other parts of the body determine how advanced cancer
has grown, or what "stage" it has reached.
TNM
is one of the most regularly utilized staging systems. It is determined by the
tumor's size (T), the extent of lymph node dissemination (N), and the
occurrence of metastases (M). The information is gathered into an overall stage
once the T, N, and M categories have been defined. Your cancer's type and stage
will dictate how aggressive your treatment should be.
A
pathologist can detect whether a cancerous tissue sample is invasive or
non-invasive, as well as how aggressive it seems, by viewing it under a
microscope. The concentration and arrangement of the cells reveal this. A
pathologist may also be able to identify a specific type of cancer. The higher
the stage, the more aggressive cancer looks to be.
Breast
cancer is classified into five stages, with stage 0 being the least advanced
and stage IV being the most advanced. Stages II and III are further classified
into categories ranging from IIA to IIB and IIIA to IIIC, based on the size of
the tumour and the extent to which the malignancy has progressed.
All
non-invasive cancers are classified as stage 0. A stage I has a diameter
of 2 centi-metres or less and hasn't migrated to the lymph nodes. A tumor in
stage II measures 2 to 5 centi-metres in diameter and has either reached or not
reached the lymph nodes. Cancer has spread to neighboring lymph nodes that are
connected to other regions of the body, or to lymph nodes near the breastbone,
at stage III. The tumor could be any size, and it could have spread to the
chest wall or breast skin, as well as lymph nodes around the collarbone or
breastbone. The stage IV category includes any tumor that has spread to other
organs of the body, most commonly the bones, lungs, liver, or brain.