Breast cancer
The breast is made up of
glands called lobules that can make milk and thin tubes called ducts that carry
the milk from the lobules to the nipple. Breast tissue also contains fat and
connective tissue, lymph nodes, and blood vessels.
Breast
cancer is the most common invasive cancer in females worldwide. Breast cancer usually
starts off in the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply them
with milk. A malignant tumor can spread to other parts of the body. A breast
cancer that started off in the lobules is known as lobular carcinoma, while one
that developed from the ducts is called ductal
carcinoma.
Types
There are several different types of breast
cancer, which can develop in different parts of the breast. Breast cancer is
often divided into non-invasive and invasive types.
·
Non-invasive breast cancer
Non-invasive breast cancer is also known as
cancer or carcinoma in situ. This cancer is found in the ducts of the breast
and hasn't developed the ability to spread outside the breast.
·
Invasive breast cancer
Invasive cancer has the ability to spread
outside the breast, although this doesn't necessarily mean it has spread. The
most common form of breast cancer is invasive ductal breast cancer, which
develops in the cells that line the breast ducts. Invasive ductal breast cancer
accounts for about 80% of all breast cancer cases and is sometimes called
"no special type".
·
Other types of breast cancer
Other less common types of breast cancer
include invasive lobular breast cancer, which develops in the cells that line
the milk-producing lobules, inflammatory breast cancer and Paget's disease of the breast.
Symptoms
Often, an
abnormal area turns up on a screening mammogram (X-ray of the breast), which
leads to further testing. In some cases, however, the first sign of breast
cancer is a new lump or mass in the breast that you or your doctor can feel. A
lump that is painless, hard, and has uneven edges is more likely to be cancer.
But sometimes cancers can be tender, soft, and rounded. So it's important to
have anything unusual checked by your doctor.
According to
the American Cancer Society, any of the following unusual changes in the breast
can be a symptom of breast cancer:
·
swelling of all or part of the breast
·
skin irritation or dimpling
·
breast pain
·
nipple pain or the nipple turning inward
·
redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple
or breast skin
·
a nipple discharge other than breast milk
·
a lump in the underarm area
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