There are many different types and stages of breast cancer. All types of cancer have atypical cells that grow rapidly, destroying body tissue. When cancer is diagnosed, doctors order tests to find out cancer type, tumor size, how many lymph nodes are involved, and how far cancer has spread. The process that determines the extent of cancer in your body is called staging. The type and stage of breast cancer help decide what treatment will work best and what the outcome could be.
Breast cancer
Non-invasive Types
The most common types of breast cancer are those that start in milk-producing lobular tissue or milk ducts and then spread to other parts of your body, and those that stay in your breast tissue. Carcinoma in situ is cancer that stays where it began. Ductal carcinoma in situ is in milk ducts that go to the nipple. Lobular carcinoma in situ is in lobes and lobular tissue. Both can be successfully treated since the cancer has not spread outside the area it began.
Invasive Types
Invasive carcinoma is cancer that can spread. Invasive ductal carcinoma starts in milk ducts and spreads through the duct walls into fatty tissue of the breasts, then to other parts of the body. On mammograms, these areas are rounded or star shaped. Invasive lobular carcinoma spreads through lobule walls, then to other parts of the body.
Other Types
Less common types of breast cancer include cancers usually found in women near 50 and older, such as medullary carcinoma, that has cancer cells that resemble the gray matter of the brain, and tubular carcinoma, in which cancer cells are tube shaped. Inflammatory breast cancer that blocks lymph vessels in breast skin and mucinous carcinoma that increases mucus production are rare types of breast cancer. Paget's disease is a stage 0 cancer that affects the nipple.
Stage 0 and Stage I Breast Cancer
Stage 0 breast cancer describes abnormal cells that haven't spread outside ducts or lobules into other breast tissue. Stage I breast cancer describes tumors smaller than two centimeters (one inch) that haven't spread outside the breast.
Stage II Breast Cancer
Stage II breast cancer is invasive. In Stage IIA tumors are between two and five centimeters, which is one to two inches. Tumors two centimeters or less are Stage IIA if they have spread to lymph nodes under the arm. Sometimes in Stage IIA there's no tumor in the breast, but there are cancer cells in lymph nodes under the arm. In Stage IIB, tumors are larger than five centimeters or between two and five centimeters with cancer cells that have spread into the lymph nodes under the arm.
Stage III Breast Cancer
Stage III refers to invasive breast cancer with tumors larger than five centimeters that have spread to four or more lymph nodes under the arm. The lymph nodes clump together and stick to other structures in your body. Sometimes there's no tumor in the breast tissue, but the cancer has spread to the wall of the chest, the breast skin, or the lymph nodes near the collarbone or breastbone.
Stage IV Breast Cancer
Stage IV breast cancer is invasive breast cancer that has invaded the lungs, liver, bone, brain, or other organs of your body.
Tags: lymph nodes, cancer that, Breast Cancer Stage, cancer cells, Cancer Stage
