Types of breast cancer
Breast cancer can be invasive or non-invasive.
The two main types of beast cancer are
DUCTAL (arising from the breast ducts that take the milk to the nipple) or
LOBULAR (arising from the milk glands.)
Both of these can be invasive or non-invasive. Non-invasive cancer is cancer which has not yet started to invade surrounding tissue. It is called CIS (carcinoma in situ).
LCIS is lobular CIS: DCIS is ductal CIS. Invasive cancer has started to invade surrounding tissue and may have spread (metastasized) outside the beast to lymph glands or other organs.
Breast cancer can be aggressive or non-aggressive. This is judged by how rapidly the cancer is likely to grow and spread.
Breast cancer can be hormone related or not: hormone related cancer grows faster in the presence of the female sex hormone estrogen (oestrogen). The cancer is tested for this as the treatment is different.
Inflammatory breast cancer presents as an inflammation of the breast. The doctor may first think of infection rather than cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer can spread rapidly, so treating physicians are likely to recommend aggressive treatment.
Paget's disease of the nipple is rare and can be successfully treated early. The cancer grows in the region of the nipple and may cause irritaion so that the patient thinks more of dermatitis than of cancer.
