Breast Cancer Types

For proper treatment, it is necessary to know the breast cancer type you have developed. Causes, symptoms and treatment vary for different breast cancer types, just as treatment may vary depending on the stage of your cancer.

In situ or non-invasive breast cancers usually have a good prognosis. This type of cancer is characterized by cancer cells limited to the original cancer site, without any metastasis. Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS), cancer that originates in the milk ducts of the breast and remains there, is the commonest In Situ breast cancer. DCIS has a great survival rate, mastectomy curing almost all DCIS cases.

Aggressive types of breast cancer like the invasive breast cancers are characterized by cancer spreading out to body parts other than the site in which the cancer originates. These cells usually enter the lymph vessels and blood vessels and travel to other body parts, where they develop malignant tumors. The two most common invasive breast cancer types are Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, which is also the commonest breast cancer type, and, Invasive Lobular Carcinoma.

What Are The Different Types Of Breast Cancer

Invasive Ductal Carcinoma accounts for 70% to 80% of all breast cancer cases. Originating in the ducts of the breast, the cancer spreads outside the ductal lining and attacks the breast tissue. There is no certainty if the cancer cells remain confined to the breast or metastasize to other organs. Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, on the other hand, is characterized by cancer cells originating in milk-producing lobules of the breast and then spreading out the same way as in IDC. One typical attribute of ILC is that no distinct lump formation is necessary. The breast usually thickens as a whole.

It is not necessary that all breast cancers originate in ducts or lobes. Sometimes, a new type of breast cancer can also originate in the breast tissue, blood and lymphatic vessels in the breast and fibrous connective tissues. Breast cancer can also occur due to metastasis of cancer from other organs. These are uncommon types, and they include Inflammatory breast cancer, Paget’s disease of the breast, angiosarcoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, metaplastic breast cancer and osteosarcoma.

Even though these types are uncommon, they can be very aggressive, like Inflammatory breast cancer, which develops so rapidly that it can cause a lot of harm within a week. It is important to be well-versed with the symptoms and causes of each of these types.

Invasive breast cancers are usually graded according to the semblance of the breast tissue compared to a normal breast tissue. Grades have three levels, from acceptable to worst, progressively. Grading helps determining treatments required and the urgency with which they’re required. Grade I means the cells still have some normalcy; Grade III means cells are functioning abnormally and are physiologically degraded. Type 2 breast cancer is somewhere in the middle.

Prevention is always better than cure. If prevention is not possible, make sure you have all the information related to your cancer, that you know every symptom, every treatment possible, and understand all the reports your doctor makes.