Types of breast cancer: Non-invasive or invasive breast cancer

Types of breast cancer: Non-invasive or invasive breast cancer. Breast cancer is the number one malignant tumor in women and the number one cancer in the world. There are many kinds of it, and the treatment is extremely difficult.

Breast cancer usually starts in the cells of the lobules, which are the mammary glands, or ducts, which are the channels that drain milk from the lobules to the nipple. The pathology report will tell you if the cancer has spread beyond the ducts or lobules of the breast.

Non-invasive cancer stays in the ducts or lobules of the breast. They will not invade normal tissues inside or outside the breast. Non-invasive cancer is sometimes called carcinoma in situ or precancerous.

Invasive cancer can invade normal, healthy tissues. Most breast cancers are aggressive.

Whether the cancer is noninvasive or sexual, it will determine your treatment options and your response to treatment.

In some cases, both invasive and non-invasive breast cancer can be seen in the same specimen. This means that part of the cancer has grown into normal tissue, and part of the cancer has stayed in the milk duct or breast lobules. It will be considered an aggressive cancer.

Breast cancer can also be a “mixed tumor,” meaning that it contains a mixture of cancerous ductal cells and lobular cells. This type of cancer is also called “invasive breast cancer” and it will be considered ductal cancer.

If there is more than one tumor in the breast, breast cancer is described as multifocal or multicentric. In multifocal breast cancer, all tumors are derived from the original tumor, and they are usually located in the same part of the breast. If the cancer is multicentric, it means that all tumors are formed separately, and they are usually located in different areas of the breast.

In most cases, you can classify breast cancer as one of the following.

• DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ): DCIS is a non-invasive cancer located in the breast duct.
• LCIS (lobular carcinoma in situ): LCIS is an overgrowth of cells remaining in the lobules. This is not a real cancer. Rather, it is a warning sign that the risk of breast cancer will increase in the future.
• IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma): The most common type of breast cancer. Invasive ductal carcinoma begins in the milk duct and has grown into the normal tissues around the breast.
• Less common subtypes of invasive ductal carcinoma can include tubular, medullary, mucinous, papillary, and cribriform carcinomas of the breast. In these cancers, the appearance and behavior of the cells may usually be different from infiltrating ductal cancer cells.
• ILC (invasive lobular carcinoma): ILC starts inside the lobules, but grows to the surrounding normal tissues in the breast.
• Inflammatory breast cancer: Inflammatory breast cancer is a fast-growing breast cancer that usually starts with redness and swelling of the breast, rather than an obvious lump.
• Male breast cancer: Male breast cancer is very rare, but once it occurs, it is almost always ductal cancer.
• Paget’s nipple disease: Paget’s nipple disease is a rare form of breast cancer in which cancer cells gather in or around the nipple.
• Phyllodes breast tumor: Phyllodes tumor is a rare breast tumor that starts in the connective tissue (stroma) of the breast and grows rapidly in a lobulated pattern.
• Recurrent or metastatic breast cancer: Breast cancer, which has recovered after previous treatment or has spread to other parts of the breast.

(source:internet, reference only)

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