Breast Cancer Treatment at Emory

by Swewezen

A lot of us have heard a lot about breast cancer, but what exactly is it? Breast cancer is a lump of cells that rapidly grow and divide in various parts of the breast and breast tissue. 80% of breast cancer is formed in the hollow areas of the mammary ducts, the other 20% occurs in the lobules. Cancerous tumors usually grow very slowly and can actually be present for 10 years before being detectable by a self examination. However, a lump does not necessarily mean you have evasive cancer. It is very important to understand the difference between carcinoma in situ and invasive breast cancer.

When abnormal cells are growing in either the mammary ducts or the lobules, but have not spread outside of that area it is called carcinoma in situ. The term "in situ" means "in place" which describes the nature of the disease. The sub-categories of these diseases are ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS).

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) occurs in the mammary ducts where abnormal cell growth is found. The excess cells in the mammary ducts are very similar to invasive cancer cells and have the potential to develop into invasive cancer eventually. It is due to this fact that early detection is so vital. Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) occurs when there is abnormal cell growth in the open space of the lobules. LCIS differs from DCIS because of the type of cells that are growing ? they do not have the potential to develop into cancer. However, women with LCIS have a significantly higher risk for developing invasive cancer.

When the abnormal cell growth occurs in the open spaces of the lobules it is called lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). This is different from DCIS because it is in a different area and the cells do not have the potential to grow into invasive cancer. However, it has been proven that women who have LCIS are at higher risk of having invasive cancer.

If these abnormal cells in the mammary ducts or the lobules spread outside of that area, the disease is reclassified as invasive cancer. Invasive cancer has the ability to spread outside the origin area and affect the surrounding breast tissue, lungs, liver, and bones. Early detection is imperative to ensure a more successful treatment probability. Success rates dramatically decline as cases progress without treatment.

If a woman finds a lump, it is extremely important to get it checked out, the odds of it being invasive cancer is about 20%. She can do this by either getting a mammogram or a biopsy. The mammogram will provide additional information about the size and severity of the tumor. And if necessary, a biopsy will be taken, which can give a physician definitive answers on what type of cancer and its severity.