General Information About Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a serious disease where healthy cells in your breast multiply uncontrollably. There are several types of breast cancer. The type of breast cancer depends greatly on what cells in your breast turn to cancer. Breast cancer can spread beyond the breast through arteries, blood vessels and tissue.
There are two types of breast cancer that are more common in women. One type of breast cancer is called carcinoma in situ or ABC. This type of breast cancer starts with the growth of tumor (carcinoma) in your breast. The tumor grows into the underlying breast tissue and may extend into neighboring tissues, particularly those that touch the tumor.
The second type of breast cancer is called malignant change in situ. This type of breast cancer starts with the uncontrolled growth of cells away from the tumor. The usual culprit for this is nipple ducts that provide nourishment to other cells. Malignant change in situ cells tend to migrate toward the lymph vessels.
You have different parts of your breast that may grow to form cancer. The most common part affected by breast cancer is the lobules. Lobules appear as solid or semi-solid masses of tissue filled with fluid. The nodules usually appear in different parts of your breast like along your crease below your breast, in your armpit, around your nipple, or in your areola (the pink patch of skin behind your nipple). Other parts of your breast that can develop into lobules include your areolas, your areolar areas, the ducts connecting your breasts and your nipples and mammaplicata or ‘muchenes’ that develop in and around your area.
The third type is epithelial cell carcinoma or simply breast cancer cells that grow in your outer layer of tissue. The most common epithelial type of breast cancer is in situ ductal carcinoma (ISD). This type of breast cancer originates from somewhere else, most often to the lymph nodes near your armpits or the lymph nodes found beneath your breast. When the tumor grows in these areas, it becomes invasive and can start spreading to other areas.
Regardless of what type of breast cancer you have it’s important to get it checked out. Even if the lump is asymptomatic, it’s still a lump and needs to be removed. Your doctor will either choose to remove the lump surgically or do a biopsy and send the cells for testing to be checked for the presence of any tumor cells. Knowing what kind of cells is in your tissue and where they are located can help your doctor decide on the best course of treatment for you.
