BREAST CANCER SYMPTOMS TEST TREATMENT CLINICAL BREAST

BREAST CANCER - GENERAL
BREAST CANCER SYMPTOMS TEST TREATMENT CLINICAL BREAST
 

For convenience, we use 'breast cancer' in the singular. However, there are different types, so we should rather speak of 'breast cancer', in the plural. And even for similar pathologies, each case has specific peculiarities.

Breast anatomy
The breast or mammary gland is made up of about 20 glandular lobes surrounded by fatty tissue. These glandular lobes are responsible for secreting milk. The excretory ducts of these lobes, called milk ducts, open into the nipple. The nipple itself is surrounded by a pigmented area, the areola. The skin of the areola is slightly deformed by the openings of the sebaceous glands, sweat glands and hair follicles. The breast rests on the pectoral muscle.



Some numbers
The infographic below has been produced based on figures from the Cancer Registry. The figures are transposed there in the form of graphs representing the number of new cases per year, the age groups most affected and the number of deaths due to this type of cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women; 75% of cases occur after the age of 50. Although breast cancer is rare in men, there is still 1 man affected by this type of cancer per 100 women.

 
Types of breast cancer
As said before, there is not just one breast cancer, but breast cancers. Here are the main types of breast cancer.

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
As the name suggests, this form of cancer grows inside the lactation ducts of the breast. Cancer cells have not yet spread to the surrounding breast tissue. There is therefore very little chance that the cancer will migrate to the lymph nodes or to other organs in the body.

It is an early form of breast cancer, but it still needs to be managed at this stage because it can become invasive if not treated in time.

Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)
In lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), abnormal cells build up inside lobules of the breast, but it is not cancer itself. If you have LCIS, you have an increased risk of later developing invasive breast cancer. However, the majority of women who have LCIS do not develop breast cancer.

Most of the time, LCIS is not seen on a mammogram and does not cause symptoms. It is therefore often by accident, during a puncture for a completely independent complaint, that CLIS is discovered.

Invasive ductal carcinoma (ICC)
Invasive ductal carcinoma (ICC) is the most common breast cancer: it accounts for 70 to 80% of diagnosed breast cancers. Invasive ductal carcinoma starts in the breast ducts, but passes through their walls and spreads to nearby breast tissue. Breast cancer cells can then spread to lymph nodes and other parts of the body.

Invasive lobular carcinoma (CLI)
About 10 to 15% of cancers diagnosed are invasive lobular carcinomas. They are mainly observed in women between 45 and 55 years old. Invasive lobular carcinoma starts in the lobules of the breast but passes through these glands and spreads to nearby breast tissue. It can also spread to the lymph nodes and other parts of the body.