Among women, breast cancer is a serious concern. Moreover, this fear is propounded by the fact that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports breast cancer as the second most common cancer among women in the country.
But simply worrying about whether one will develop breast cancer isn’t enough. It’s important to understand that there are different kinds of breast cancer.
In this article we will discuss what breast cancer is, the categories of breast cancer, and how we can help patients.
What Is Breast Cancer
As described by the CDC, breast cancer is a condition in which the cells in the breasts grow uncontrollably.
Types of cancer will vary due to where the growth of abnormal cells begins, and breast cancer can start in the breast and spread to other parts of the body. Typically breast cancer will often start out in either the milk ducts, lobules, or connective tissue. Based on the starting point of the breast cancer different symptoms will appear
The CDC outlines a list of symptoms that have been associated with breast cancer as follows:
- A new lump in the breast or underarm (armpit)
- Thickening or swelling of part of the breast
- Irritation or dimpling of breast skin
- Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast
- Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area
- Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood
- Any change in the size or the shape of the breast
- Pain in any area of the breast
It’s also important to remember while these symptoms are commonly associated with breast cancer, these symptoms can also be caused by other conditions that are not cancer. However, if you do exhibit one or more of the above symptoms, we advise seeing a doctor for an evaluation.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America cites the two noninvasive and invasive, with invasive being the most common among cases.
Types of Invasive Breast Cancer
A question some people may have is what makes breast cancer invasive? The American Cancer Society (ACS) defines invasive as a type of breast cancer that has spread into the surrounding area of the breast.
The most common type of invasive breast cancer is known as invasive ductal carcinoma, according to WebMD affects 80% of people who are diagnosed.
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
The American Cancer Society (ACS) explains that triple-negative breast cancer makes up 10-15% of breast cancer cases.
The ACS advises that these receptors are responsible for keeping the hormones estrogen and progesterone from attaching to the hormonal receptors, this helps keep cancer from growing and spreading.
Patients who are diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer have limited treatment options due to how fast cancer grows and spreads leading to a worse prognosis
Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC):
The American Cancer Society cites that Inflammatory breast cancer makes up 1-5% of all cases of breast cancer.
According to the ACS inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) differs from the different types of breast cancer in a couple of ways,
- “IBC doesn’t look like typical breast cancer. It often does not cause a breast lump, and it might not show up on a mammogram. This makes it harder to diagnose.
- IBC tends to occur in younger women (younger than 40 years of age).
- African-American women appear to develop IBC more often than white women.
- IBC is more common among women who are overweight or obese.
- IBC also tends to be more aggressive—it grows and spreads much more quickly—than more common types of breast cancer.”
It is important to note patients with one or more risk factors that have commonly been found in cases of inflammatory breast cancer should be wary of any changes that occur in breasts as this kind of cancer can spread quickly.
Metastatic Breast Cancer
Metastatic breast cancer is also classified as stage 4 of breast cancer. The National Breast Cancer Foundation explains the ways cancer can spread through the body, with cancer cells invading healthy cells and traveling through the lymph vessels.
Stage four of breast cancer refers to when cancer has spread to other parts of the body such as the liver or lungs. In cases where cancer has spread to other parts of the body such as the brain, bones, or brain. Currently, breast cancer in stage 4 is not curable, but research and technology are providing more ways for more women to live longer with a better quality of life.
Patients who are at risk for breast cancer can benefit from early detection and regular breast exams in order to find out if any changes have occurred, receive help, and begin treatment as soon as possible.
How MCR Can Help
With treatment continuing to improve every year, a cancer diagnosis no longer means all hope is lost. With early detection, many patients beat cancer and live cancer-free lives.
Thanks to evidence from the American Cancer Society, there is even more hope as the survival rates of breast cancer continue to improve showing just how effective treatment has become against breast cancer.
At MCR Health, patients can trust in our physicians to fight alongside the patients against breast cancer. Our team is ready to fight against many cancer types with many treatment options that can reduce and remove breast cancer cells. Our treatment plans are designed to help patients begin on their road to recovery starting by seeing our team.
If you have concerns about breast cancer, especially if you have a family history, schedule an appointment for an examination and testing!
