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CancerSmart Web Cast March 8, 2007 -- Larry Norton, Deputy Physician-in-Chief for Breast Cancer Programs presents, "Advances in the Prevention and Care of Breast Cancer."
Run time: 90 minutes. |
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Cancer is not one disease, it is a group of diseases that can appear in any part of the body, and take many forms. But all cancers share a basic trait -- the abnormal growth, multiplication, and spread of cells in the body. Once the cells begin to grow uncontrollably, they can form a tumor. Benign tumors are not cancerous -- they do not invade surrounding tissue and spread throughout the body. Malignant tumors have the capacity to grow beyond their original site and into other tissues.
Types of Breast Cancer
Carcinoma is the term used to describe most malignant tumors. Most breast cancers are ductal carcinomas -- they originate in the ducts that carry milk to the nipple. Less common are lobular carcinomas. These form in the cells that line the lobules that produce milk. Tumors that originate in bone, muscle, fat, or connective tissue are called sarcomas. Sarcomas of the breast are very rare. Much less common types of tumors also include tubular, medullary, mucinous, papillary, and adenocystic tumors.
If the cancer cells are confined to the duct or lobule, the cancer is in situ, meaning it hasn't left the site. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is usually found by mammography, as no tumor mass has formed and, as a result, a woman couldn't find the cancer during breast self-examination. When a cancer has moved beyond the duct, it is called invasive or infiltrating cancer. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma is the most common type of breast cancer. As the cells invade surrounding areas, scar tissue or other fibrous growth surrounds the tumor cells forming a lump that can be seen on a mammogram or felt during a physicians examination.
Infiltrating lobular carcinoma doesn't produce the same kind of fibrous growth, so it may be harder to detect on a mammogram. This type of cancer produces a softer lump -- sometimes it is describes as a thickening. If a lobular cancer is found in one breast, it may also be in the other breast. Therefore it is important to carefully monitor the second breast.
Scaliness, oozing, or hardening of the skin, areola, or of the nipple itself may be a sign of Paget's disease, a relatively rare cancer in which a tumor grows out on to the surface of the skin. A biopsy may be done to look for the presence of malignant cells, and to rule out other conditions such as eczema.
