A Complete Guide to Breast Cancer

Breast cancer occurs when breast cells develop mutations and begin to divide and multiply. People may first notice a lump in the breast, discoloration, texture changes, or other symptoms.

Breast cancer is cancer that develops in breast cells. Typically, the cancer forms in either the lobules or the ducts of the breast.

Lobules are the glands that produce milk, and ducts are the pathways that bring the milk from the glands to the nipple. Cancer can also occur in the fatty tissue or the fibrous connective tissue within your breast.

The uncontrolled cancer cells often invade other healthy breast tissue and can travel to the lymph nodes under the arms. Once the cancer enters the lymph nodes, it has access to a pathway to move to other body parts.

Although they generally have less of it, males have breast tissue just like females do. Males can develop breast cancer, too, but it’s much rarer.

Learn more about the signs of breast cancer, how it’s diagnosed, and what treatment options are available.

The identification of breast cancer

A doctor will perform a comprehensive physical examination in addition to a breast exam to assess if your symptoms are due to breast cancer or a benign breast ailment.

To learn more about the cause of your symptoms, they could also ask for one or more diagnostic tests.

These consist of:

Imaging examinations

The most common way to see below the surface of your breast is with an imaging test called a mammogram. Many females over 40 years old get annual mammograms to check for breast cancer.

If a doctor suspects you may have a tumor or suspicious spot, they will also request a mammogram.

If an atypical area is seen on your mammogram, a doctor may request additional tests, such as a breast ultrasound. This method uses sound waves to create a picture of the tissues deep in your breast. An ultrasound can help your doctor distinguish between a solid mass, such as a tumor, and a benign cyst.

biopsy of the breasts

Your doctor may do a test known as a breast biopsy if they suspect breast cancer based on results from tests like an ultrasound or mammography.

In this test, a tissue sample is taken from the questionable location and examined in a laboratory.

The lab can perform additional tests to determine the kind of breast cancer if the sample comes back positive for the disease.

The Healthline FindCare service allows you to search for local physicians if you do not currently have a primary care physician.

Find out more about Newly Diagnosed with Breast Cancer on Healthline.

Based on the size of the tumor and the extent of its dissemination, doctors categorize breast cancer into stages.

Cancers that are tiny or still contained within the breast are at a lower stage than those that are large or have spread to neighboring tissues or organs.

In order for doctors to stage breast cancer, they must know:

How big the tumor is, whether lymph nodes are involved, whether the cancer has spread to adjacent tissue or organs, and whether the cancer is invasive or noninvasive

There are five primary phases of breast cancer.Verified Source: phases 0–4.

breast cancer stage 0

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is stage 0. In DCIS, the cancer cells have not migrated to neighboring tissue and are still contained to the breast ducts.

breast cancer stage 1

Stage 1A: The main tumor is no more than two centimeters (cm). There is no impact on the lymph nodes.
Stage 1B: Neighboring lymph nodes have cancer. Either the breast tumor is less than 2 cm in size, or there isn’t one at all

breast cancer stage 2

Stage 2A: The tumor is between 2 and 5 cm and has not spread to any lymph nodes, or it is less than 2 cm and has spread to one to three neighboring lymph nodes.
Stage 2B: The tumor is either greater than 5 cm and has not migrated to any lymph nodes, or it is between 2 and 5 cm and has spread to one to three axillary (armpit) lymph nodes.

breast cancer stage 3

Stage 3A: The malignancy has expanded the internal mammary lymph nodes or migrated to four to nine axillary lymph nodes. Any size primary tumor is possible.
The tumors are more than 5 cm in size. One to three lymph nodes in the axilla or any nodes in the breastbone have been affected by the cancer.
Stage 3B: A tumor may or may not have spread to up to nine lymph nodes after invading the skin or chest wall.
Stage 3C: At least ten axillary lymph nodes, lymph nodes close to the collarbone, or internal mammary nodes have cancer.

breast cancer stage 4 (metastatic breast cancer)

Any size tumor can be found in stage 4 breast cancer. Its cancerous cells have spread to distant organs and lymph nodes, both close and far away.

Your therapy will be impacted by the tests a doctor does to establish the stage of your breast cancer.

Preventing breast cancer

Even though you have little control over some risk factors, you may reduce your chance of acquiring breast cancer by leading a healthy lifestyle, obtaining frequent tests, and implementing any preventative steps your doctor suggests.

Factors related to lifestyle

Lifestyle factors can affectTrusted Source your risk of breast cancer.

For instance, people who have obesity have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Maintaining a nutrient-dense diet and getting regular exercise as often as possible could help you lose weight and lower your risk.

According to the American Association for Cancer Research, drinking alcohol also increases your risk, especially drinking more than the recommended moderate amount. For females, moderate alcohol use is definedTrusted Source as one drink per day.

If you drink alcohol, consider talking with a doctor about what amount they recommend for you.

Treatment with prevention

There may be genetic factors that enhance your risk of breast cancer.

For example, you have a higher chance of developing a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation if your parent does. Your risk of breast cancer is greatly increased by this.

Consult a physician about your diagnostic options if you are susceptible to this mutation. To find out if you have the mutation, you might wish to get tested.

Consult a physician about any preventative measures you can take to lower your chance of breast cancer if you find out you do have it. These actions can involve surgically removing a breast or performing a preventative mastectomy.

You might also think about taking medicine, such Tamoxifen, or chemoprophylaxis to lower your chance of breast cancer.

Screening for breast cancer

Regular mammograms can lessen the likelihood that breast cancer will go unnoticed, but they cannot prevent it.

For people with an average risk of developing breast cancer, the American Cancer Society Trusted Source offers the following general recommendations:

An annual optional mammography for those aged 40 to 44
Between the ages of 45 and 54: a yearly mammography
Ages 55 years and older: can choose to continue with annual mammograms or switch to every other year
See a doctor to find out if you should undergo regular mammograms because everyone has different recommendations.

Breast cancer types

The two primary classifications of breast cancer are invasive and noninvasive, and there are several varieties of the disease. Breast cancer in situ is another name for noninvasive breast cancer.

Noninvasive cancer has not expanded from the initial tissue, whereas invasive cancer has spread from the breast ducts or glands to other areas of the breast.

Different forms of aggressive breast cancer

The most prevalent kind of breast cancer is called invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). It starts in the milk ducts of your breast and spreads to the surrounding breast tissue. Breast cancer can start to spread to other neighboring organs and tissue after it has reached the area outside your milk ducts.
ILC, or invasive lobular carcinoma, begins in the lobules of your breast before spreading to neighboring tissue.

IBC, or inflammatory breast cancer, is an uncommon but deadly kind of breast cancer. IBC accounts for only 1% to 5% of all occurrences of breast cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. It prevents the lymph vessels in the breast from draining correctly by blocking the lymph nodes close to the breasts.

Nipple ducts are the first site of Paget disease, a form of breast cancer that eventually spreads to the nipple’s skin and areola.
Another uncommon disease type is triple-negative breast cancer. Only 10% to 15% of breast cancer patients are affected (Trusted Source).
Angiosarcoma: This type of cancer develops on the breast’s lymphatic or blood vessels.

Your long-term results and available treatments are influenced by the sort of cancer you have.

Noninvasive breast cancer types

DCIS, or ductal carcinoma in situ:DCIS is a cancer that is not invasive. The cancer cells in DCIS are limited to your breast’s ducts and have not spread to the surrounding breast tissue.

LCIS, or lobular carcinoma in situ:LCIS is a type of cancer that develops in your breast’s milk-producing glands. The cancer cells have not spread to the surrounding tissue, unlike DCIS.

Breast cancer risk factors

Your risk of developing breast cancer is increased by a number of risk factors. Having any of these, though, does not guarantee that you will get the illness.

You can alter the following risk factors:

Use of alcohol: Alcohol use increases your risk.

Lack of exercise: People who don’t exercise frequently have an increased chance of developing cancer.

Hormone treatment: Breast cancer is more likely to occur in people who have had or are now using postmenopausal estrogen and progesterone drugs to cope with menopause symptoms.

What is the prevalence of breast cancer?

Breast cancer is the second most frequent disease in women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source.

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