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What Are the Different Kinds of Breast Cancer?
by Andrea Coventry
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Overview
According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are two main types of common breast cancer, each with two subtypes, as well as two less common types. Diagnosis of the type of breast cancer depends on where in the breast the cancer begins and which cells develop cancer.
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How Breast Cancer Forms
Many lumps in the breast are benign, meaning noncancerous. Fibrocystic breast condition occurs when the breast becomes lumpy, tender and sore. Cysts, which are fluid-filled sacs, also sometimes develop. Cancer actually forms in the breast cells. These cells become abnormal and rapidly multiply. The excess cells join together in a mass known as a tumor. Sometimes these tumors are benign; however, others become malignant, which means cancerous.
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Ductal Carcinoma
This is the most common form of breast cancer, starting in the milk ducts, or lining of the breast ducts. In the type known as Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), cancer cells are only found in the ducts and have not spread. In the type known as Invasive ductal carcinoma, cancer cells have spread throughout the breast and have the potential to spread throughout the entire body.
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Lobular Carcinoma
This common type of breast cancer begins in the milk glands, known as lobules. Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) occurs when the cancerous cells are restricted to the milk glands and have not spread. This type of cancer often does not spread; however, if it has spread elsewhere in the breast or to other parts of the body, it is known as Invasive lobular carcinoma.
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Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer is a less common form of the disease. This is when cancer has spread to the skin, causing it to turn reddish in color and warm to the touch. Lymph vessels,which are responsible for carrying white blood cells around the body, are blocked. The skin may also become dimpled, like the skin of an orange.
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Paget Disease of the Nipple
Paget disease of the nipple is one of the rarest forms of breast cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, less than 5 percent of breast cancer cases include Paget's disease. In this condition, cancer has formed in or around the nipple. While no one is positive about how or why it forms, two major theories exist. One theory is that cancerous cells have moved from the milk ducts to the nipple. Another is that cells spontaneously develop into cancer. Symptoms include red, flaking skin that resembles eczema, and later, sensitivity, burning, pain and discharge.
