Types of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is among the life threatening diseases in women. Cancerous cells are highly mutable in the breasts and develop in the milk ducts or lobules of the breasts. Only two types of breast cancers - ductal carcinoma and lobular carcinoma - exist, but on the basis of symptoms, another type called inflammatory breast cancer is also considered.   Read through to know the details of the three types of breast cancer:Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) This is a common type of breast cancer, which originates in the milk supplying ducts and spreads to the duct tubes and tissues surrounding the cancer site. It is also known as infiltrating carcinoma. IDC is potent to invade and affect the lymphatic system and the blood stream. An irregular lump in the central area of the breast or nipple retraction can indicate the development of IDC. IDC category includes Ducal carcinoma in situ, which is a non-invasive cancer i.e., it doesn’t spread to surrounding tissues. Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) Invasive Lobular Carcinoma starts developing in the breast lobules, where milk is produced. Symptoms of ILC are latent and thus, it is hard to detect them. Common name for ILC is infiltrating lobular carcinoma. To detect invasive lobular carcinoma, check your breasts for a web like mass or a thickened area around them. Consult a doctor in case of any doubt. In ILC, the cancerous cells grow along the lining of the breast lobules but later they spread to the nearby tissues. As its name clearly indicates, ILC can metastasize to other body parts. Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) Inflammatory breast cancer is characterized by red, aching and swollen breast. IBC is a dangerous form of breast cancer form that is potentially much more threatening for women in younger age and has been reported more in African American women than Caucasians. Symptoms of IBC include increased breast size, orange peeling of the breast skin, breast itching, nipple retraction and swollen lymph nodes. Almost 1-5% of total reported breast cancer cases report of being inflammatory.Different Treatment options for breast cancer include:1. Surgery.2. Chemotherapy.3. hormone therapy, and4. Radiation therapy.The factors on which the treatment course of a particular type of depends are: 1. Type of the cancer.2. Cancer stage.3. Sensitivity of the cancer to certain hormones.4. Whether the cancer overproduces (over-expresses), a gene called her2/neu or not.5. General health of the patient, and6. Patient’s preferences.