Tuesday, March 15, 2011

What are different types of Breast cancer?

Different types of breast cancer are:
  • DCIS – Ductal Carcinoma In Situ
  • IDC – Invasive Ductal Carcinoma
  • ILC – Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
  • IDC - Less Common Types
  • Inflammatory Breast Cancer
  • LCIS – Lobular Carcinoma In Situ
  • Male Breast Cancer
  • Paget's Disease of the Nipple
  • Phyllodes Tumors of the Breast
  • Recurrent and Metastatic Breast Cancer
Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS)
This is the most common type of non-invasive breast cancer that starts inside milk ducts. The reason it is referred as non-invasive is, it has not spread beyond the milk duct to any surrounding breast tissue so is not fatal, but patients with this cancer are at a risk of developing invasive type later on. Among the women who have undertaken lumpectomy (breast conserving surgery) without radiation therapy, there is 25 to 30 % chance of getting the cancer again in future.

Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC)
IDC is the most common type of breast cancer that comprises around 80% of all cancers. The term invasive is applied because cancer has spread or invaded the surrounding tissues in the breast, starting from milk ducts.

Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC)
The second most common type of breast cancer, also known as infiltrating lobular carcinoma affects over 180,000 women in U.S, as described by American Cancer Society. In ILC, the cancer cells are spread beyond lobular wall in the surrounding breast tissues. As time passes by, it can reach to lymph nodes and other body organs.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC)
This form of breast cancer is rare but severe in nature. Usually, it begins with the redness and swelling of the breast and grows rapidly with the symptoms getting worse over the period of time.  1-5 % cases are inflammatory breast cancer in U.S.

Male breast cancer
Less than 1% of all cancers occur in males, so it is extremely rare. Men also have breast tissues but these are not grown as in women.

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