Breast Cancer Type

The Meaning of Breast Cancer Type is Explained Here

There are several ways to explain a breast cancer type.  A breast cancer type can mean the location of the breast cancer or what the breast cancer type looks like under the microscope.

There are also breast cancer types that differ by the types of receptors on the breast cancer tumor cells.  Let’s look at different ways to discover a breast cancer type.  It is important for breast cancer awareness to know what type of breast cancer you have.

Looking at Locations of Breast Cancer

Signs of breast cancer vary with its location. If a breast cancer is found to be an “in situ” breast cancer, signs of breast cancer may be few.  The breast cancer is very small and cannot be felt by touching the skin or tissue of the breast.

Breast cancer in situ has stayed within the bounds of its origins.  It has not spread to other parts of the breast.  It is called breast cancer stage 0.

Breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the breast or to other parts of the body is called invasive breast cancer.  Invasive breast cancer is generally bigger than breast cancer in situ and may be felt by touching the breast tissue.

Invasive breast cancer is also called infiltrating breast cancer and it comes in stages I-IV.  Stage four breast cancer has spread the furthest—to other body areas than the breast.

Breast Cancer Tumor Growing in Different Places in the Breast

You can define breast cancer type according to where in the breast the breast cancer began.  For example, a breast cancer tumor can begin in the milk ducts.  Such a breast cancer type is called ductal carcinoma.  The ducts are the part of the breast that carries milk from the lobules to the outside of the breast at the nipple.  Cancer can form in these ducts.

Lobular breast cancer is where the breast cancer tumor begins in the part of the breast where the breast milk is made.  Lobules are associated with the ducts that take the milk away from the breast.  Breast cancer that begins in the ducts is called intralobular carcinoma.

You can have breast cancer tumor growing out of the connective tissue of the breasts, such as the muscle, blood vessels or fat.  Such a breast cancer tumor is often known by different names, but is most likely called a type of sarcoma.

Breast Cancer Type as Defined by the Microscope

A pathologist can often tell what type of breast cancer is growing.  The breast cancer causes are often the same but the microscope can tell the differences between the cancers.  For example, invasive ductal carcinoma looks different under the microscope than lobular carcinoma.

The doctor looks at the “grade” of the breast cancer tumor.  The grade is how “angry” a breast cancer cell looks.  High grade tumors look very angry and grow fast in the body.  It is more dangerous to have a high grade breast cancer tumor than it is to have a low grade tumor.

Breast cancer tumors are graded as from 1 to 3.  The breast cancer cells that look the most different from normal cells are the angriest and are more aggressive than regular breast cancer cells. Regular breast cancer cells don’t look much different from regular cells.  Grade 3 tumors are the highest grade tumors.

Defining Breast Cancer Type by Receptor Status

Some breast cancer tumors are kept growing by female hormones.  Some scientists believe that female hormones are one of the breast cancer causes.  Female hormones include estrogen and progesterone.  Estrogen positive tumors have estrogen receptors on them that grow when estrogen is in the system.  Progesterone positive tumors are fueled by progesterone.

This is why medications are used that block estrogen and progesterone on some breast cancer types.  Tamoxifen and Raloxifene are used to block the growth of estrogen receptor tumors.  Megace is used to block the growth of progesterone receptor positive tumors.  They keep the breast cancer tumor from growing.

The breast cancer type is important in knowing which medications to use.  If a breast cancer tumor is neither estrogen nor progesterone positive, none of the above medications will be very helpful.

The Genetic Makeup of the Cells Determine Treatment

There are other receptors on breast cancer cells.  Breast cancer cells containing too many HER-2 genes make too much HER-2 protein. HER-2 proteins make the cells grow faster.

There is medication that can block the HER-2 receptors on the breast cancer tumor.   The medication is called Herceptin.  It only works on HER-2 positive types of breast cancer.

With increasing breast cancer awareness, there are new receptors being discovered all the time.  Perhaps this can increase the number of drugs available to breast cancer patients.  The genetic makeup of the breast cancer tumor is important and determines the breast cancer type.  New research is being done all the time.  Please keep reading and learning about this disease as new discoveries arfe announced on this website all the time.