Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed life-threatening cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in women. Over the last two decades, research related to breast cancer has led to extraordinary progress in our understanding of the disease, resulting in more efficient and less toxic treatments. Increased awareness among the public and improved screening has led to earlier diagnosis at stages amenable to complete surgical resection and curative treatments. Consequently, survival rates for breast cancer have improved significantly, mostly in women of young age. India has some of the best oncologists, especially in Mumbai.
What is breast cancer?
The second most common cause of cancer death in women, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Breast cancer is a term used to describe malignancies that develop from breast tissue, most frequently from the lobules that feed the milk ducts with milk or the inner lining of the milk ducts.
Breast cancer is the second most prevalent non-skin cancer worldwide (behind lung cancer) and the fifth most common cause of cancer death in women, accounting for 10.4% of all new cancer cases. 519,000 people died from breast cancer in the world in 2004 (7% of cancer fatalities; over 1% of all deaths). Males tend to have worse results due to delays in detection, although breast cancer affects women around 100 times more frequently than it does men.
What are the different types of breast cancer?
Invasive and noninvasive breast cancer falls into two main groups. While some grow slowly, others are more aggressive. The biological makeup, size, stage, etc., of a tumour, and other characteristics, all impact how aggressive it is. However, inflammatory breast cancer and breast angiosarcoma are typically the most aggressive forms of breast cancer. In contrast, ductal carcinoma in situ, lobular carcinoma in situ, and phyllodes tumours generally are slower-growing.
1. Different types of invasive breast cancer:
Most breast cancers are invasive, meaning the disease has progressed from the primary site to the surrounding breast tissue, lymph nodes, or other parts of the body. Breast cancer cells that are invasive (infiltrating) break the protective boundaries of healthy breast tissue and spread to other body parts through the circulation and lymph nodes. Invasive ductal and invasive lobular carcinoma are the two most prevalent kinds of invasive breast cancer.
- Ductal Carcinoma Invasive
Invasive ductal carcinoma is the most prevalent breast cancer, accounting for around 70–80 percent of all occurrences (IDC). IDC is a cancer that starts in a milk duct and spreads to other breast tissues. Milk ducts are the tubes in the breast that bring milk to the nipple, and it may eventually expand further, or metastatically, to other bodily regions.
- Carcinoma lobular invasion
The second most frequent breast cancer is invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), which is between 5 and 10 percent of all cases. Breast tissue nearby is first affected by ILC, which originates in the lobules (where breast milk is produced). It might spread laterally like IDC. ILC afflicts both breasts in one out of every five women.
- Inflammatory breast cancer
Compared to other types of breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer spreads more quickly and can be found in the ducts or lobules. Its name comes from the inflammatory symptoms it produces, typically redness and swelling on the breast’s surface. Hence, breast infection is frequently misdiagnosed. One in three individuals with this type of cancer does not receive a diagnosis until the disease has spread to other parts of the body and progressed to more advanced stages.
2. Noninvasive (in situ) breast cancer types
Breast cancer cells that are in situ are noninvasive and stay in one area of the breast without spreading to neighboring tissue, lobules, or ducts. In situ breast cancer refers to cancer that only affects the milk ducts or lobules. Ductal carcinoma and lobular carcinoma are the two forms of in situ cancers.
- DCIS- Ductal carcinoma In Situ
DCIS accounts for about 20% of newly discovered breast cancer cases. A lump that is made in a milk duct, which transports milk from glands, to the nipple, is the beginning of DCIS. There isn’t any body-wide spread of a DCIS. The chance that the tumor will eventually penetrate the ductal walls and enter the breast’s surrounding fat and tissue increase with time. However, due to advances in diagnosis and therapy, most women with DCIS, also known as stage 0 breast cancer, receive treatment successfully.
- LCIS- In Situ Lobular Carcinoma
LCS is technically not considered cancer but rather breast changes. To create breast milk, the breast has tens of thousands of tiny clusters called lobules. These lobules may develop cells that resemble cancer cells, and LCIS usually stays put and doesn’t spread. Your care team may want to watch you to quickly address any changes since LCIS increases your chance of developing invasive breast cancer.
Conclusion
Various techniques are available today for breast cancer treatment, including surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and, more recently, nanotechnology and gene therapy. The death rate from breast cancer has decreased due to advances in screening, diagnosis, and treatment. In actuality, 90% of women who receive a new breast cancer diagnosis will live for at least five years. To create even more efficient screening and treatment methods, research is ongoing. In India, one can find the  for effective treatment and positive results.
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