Last time out, we talked about how important it is to know the health status of your breast in order to aid early discovery of any breast cancer and put us in a vantage position to fight and defeat cancer. Sequel to this, questions have popped up on why some cancer cases resolve easily and some do not, rather they have been known to deteriorate and taken lives fatefully.

So, in order to address this, it is imperative we bring to your knowledge that breast cancer is of several types, some of which have been found to be Malignant meaning they are quite aggressive in their spread from the original site (breast ducts or glands) to other areas of the breast or body while on the other hand are Benign subtypes which are contained in their original tissue and therefore easier to manage.

However, no form of breast cancer should be taken lightly, if you suspect something or notice anything unusual about your breasts, please seek help urgently. The commonly seen breast cancer types include:

• Invasive ductal carcinoma: This is the most commonly seen breast cancer type in our health system. The tumor takes root from the milk conducting ducts of the breast and spreads to surrounding tissues of the breast and if not managed early further spreads to other tissues and organs in the body.
• Invasive lobular carcinoma: This is quite similar to invasive ductal carcinoma in its mode of spread, it only just begins from the breasts lobules which are the milk producing glands of the breasts and progresses to surrounding tissues.
• Lobular carcinoma in situ: This cancer is found confined to the breast lobules, and are yet to invade surrounding tissue. Please note, that although this is not life threatening like the invasive counterparts, they have the potential to progress to being malignant and therefore medical attention remains necessary and should be sought urgently.
• Ductal carcinoma in situ: This cancer also is found in the ducts of the breasts and is non-invasive.
• Phyllodes breast tumor: This subtype also known as cystosarcoma phyllodes is actually quite rare accounting for less than 1% of all breast tumors. They grow quickly, but rarely spread outside the breast.

These among others are the different presentations of breast cancer seen in our practice. Each of these presentations dictates the treatment modalities we explore to effectively manage our patients.  

Thank you for your attention, for more information and enquiries, you can reach us on our Contact us page.