What are the types of early breast cancer?

Understanding Breast Cancer / By

Breast cancer can manifest itself in different ways. Knowing your main histologic subtypes helps you better understand what’s going on.

The Most Common Types

  • Ductal carcinoma: The most common type of breast cancer, this tumour forms in the lining of one of the breast ducts, which carry breast milk from the lobules to the nipple. There are two types of ductal carcinoma: carcinoma in situ, which remains inside the ducts as a non-invasive tumour, and invasive ductal carcinoma, which can spread to other parts. Both types have the ability to metastasize if not treated properly;
  • Lobular carcinoma: It is the second most common type of breast cancer. It also has two types of tumours: invasive lobular carcinoma, developed in the breast lobules, and lobular carcinoma in situ, traditionally considered a risk marker for the development of breast cancer and maybe a non-obligatory precursor of invasive carcinoma.
  • Connective Tissues: Although rare, in some cases, breast cancer can start in connective tissue, which is made up of muscle, fat, and blood vessels. This type may also be known as a sarcoma, tumour, or angiosarcoma.

The Less Common Types

  • Inflammatory breast cancer: It is a rare type of tumour diagnosed in the breast. It presents different symptoms, prognoses and different treatments, since, in most cases, its diagnosis is made late;
  • Paget’s disease: Developed in the breast ducts, this type of cancer can spread to the skin of the nipple and areola region. Its incidence is rare.
  • Phylloid tumour: extremely rare, this type is characterized by the appearance of hard lumps of tissue in any part of the breast;
  • Angiosarcoma: is a rare complication of radiotherapy treatment, which rarely occurs in the breast – the development takes place in the cells that line the blood or lymph vessels;
  • Breast cancer in men: even with a very low incidence, the development of breast cancer in men is also possible.

There are even rarer types of breast cancer, such as medullary, mucinous and tubular carcinoma and malignant phyllodes tumour. Just as each type of tumour has particularities and differences, the treatment is also not universal – therefore, the specialist doctor may recommend carrying out several tests to understand each case and discuss with the patient the best approach and treatment of the disease.

Article adapted with permission from Mulher Consciente, https://mulherconsciente.com.br/cancer-de-mama/tudo-sobre-o-cancer-de-mama/#tipos-cancer-inicial, accessed on March 2022.

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