The breasts are made of tissues comprised of lobules or glandular tissues, milk ducts, and fatty tissue. Breast cancer is one of the most dangerous conditions that can affect a woman’s lifestyle immensely. Regular mammograms are recommended from reputed medical testing labs, especially for women with a family history of breast cancer.
Types
Based on the type of cancer, it can either be invasive and spread through the entire breast tissue or it can be non-invasive or in situ which means that the cancerous cells remain in the place of origin. Based on this, the following are the most common types of breast cancer:
- Invasive ductal carcinoma - Commonly referred to as IDC, this type of breast cancer is known to spread from the milk ducts to other parts of the breast tissue as well as several body organs.
- Invasive lobular carcinoma - ILC is breast cancer that originates in the lobules and then spreads across the milk ducts, fatty tissue and other parts.
- Ductal carcinoma in situ - One of the most common non-invasive breast cancer is DCIS. The cancerous cells in the milk ducts do not spread to other parts of the breast tissue.
- Lobular carcinoma in situ - Another type of non-invasive breast cancer is LCIS wherein the lobules are affected by the cancerous cells only. Hence, the spread to the remaining breast tissue does not occur.
When it comes to breast cancer, there are several other types such as inflammatory breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, Paget’s disease of the nipple, angiosarcoma, etc. but these conditions are very rare.
Treatment
After diagnosing the type of cancer with the help of mammogram, CT scan, immunohistochemistry test, etc. the treatment plan is developed by the oncologist. Various types of surgeries are available for complete or partial removal of breast tissue. After the procedure, radiation, as well as chemotherapy, are suggested to the patient. In some cases, hormone therapy is also provided to relieve the pain.
Early detection of breast cancer can help in treating the disease successfully. For this purpose, self-examination of the breast is recommended to women.
