Back to Homepage
“Cancer is a disease which occurs when cells in the body divide, beyond the checks and balances of normal cells. These abnormal cells can invade other normal tissues and cause problems. Breast cancer occurs when cells from the breast begin to grow out of control. These abnormal cells then form a tumor, which can often be felt as a lump or detected on imaging studies, such as the mammogram or breast ultrasound. Where are most breast cancer lumps found? Breast cancer can be found in different parts of the breast. Breast cancer lump can be formed in the ducts that carry milk and they are the ductal cancers, or they can be formed in the milk producing glands and they are the lobular cancers. There are also other less common types of breast cancer, such as mucinous medullary or papillary carcinomas.
How common is breast cancer? Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women and the second most common cancer diagnosed worldwide. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2021, there will be over 281,000 new invasive breast cancer cases in women. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is an international annual campaign to increase attention, promote early detection and treatment of breast cancer. It has helped fund breast cancer research, early detection programs and underserved communities. Breast cancer in men is rare, account for about one in a hundred cases of breast cancer diagnosed in the United States. There are different types of breast cancers. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma is the most common type of invasive breast cancer, which makes up about 70 to 80% of all breast cancers. Infiltrating lobular carcinoma makes up about 8% of invasive breast cancers. 7% of invasive breast cancers are mixed ductal and lobular carcinomas. Triple negative breast cancer comprises of about 15% of all invasive breast cancers. It is usually a more aggressive type of cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer comprises of about one to 5% of all breast cancers. There are also other types of breast cancers, which affect different types of cells in the breast, such as Paget disease of the breast, Phyllodes tumor and angiosarcoma. Metastatic breast cancer, which is also known as stage four breast cancer, is breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.”
