Knowing the Breast Cancer Types, Guides the Pathway to Prevent It!

Breast cancer is an abnormal growth within the breast that can be of various types. People generally talk about breast cancer as one entity, but they are of different types. Breast cancers are also referred to as carcinomas that are usually tumors that start to grow within the epithelial cells.

When a carcinoma grows in the breast, it is then termed to be as adenocarcinoma that starts to grow either within the ducts or lobules. Hence, these are the two types of breast cancer, about which you will know further in this guide. Apart from that, this presentation also intends to educate you about the causes of breast cancer and the ideal measures that you can take to ensure breast cancer prevention.

Adapting the right measures and getting the right treatment is essential in order to avoid or cure breast cancer. So, invest your time and effort in educating yourself about its aspects!

What are the Types of Breast Cancer?

Before you can head to understand the types of breast cancer, you need to understand about the Terminal Duct Lobular Unit. It is the lobule part of the gland that consists of nipples and produces milk. Based on that, learn the breast cancer types that will help you later on with ideal breast cancer prevention:

Infiltrating Ductal Cancer – 

It is cancer that originates in the duct part of the gland.

Amongst the other breast cancer types, ductal breast cancer is the one that starts growing within the milk duct and invades the fatty or fibrous tissue of the breast outside that duct.

It is the most common breast cancer form! 

Infiltrating Lobular Cancer – 

It is cancer that originates in the lobule part of the gland. The causes of breast cancer are endless, that includes obesity, family history, and others.

But, educating yourself about such cancers can help you deal with them. Infiltrating lobular breast cancer begins within the milk-producing glands or lobules. In this condition, the cancer cells break out of the lobule and spread through the lymph nodes. 

There are many other sub-types of these breast cancers that will be discussed or classified in different scenarios. Knowing the types beforehand will help you understand how to prevent breast cancer.

What Are the Differences Between Benign Breast Lump & Malignant Breast Lump?

Fibroadenoma, or Fibroadenosis, is classified to be benign breast lumps. The meaning of benign is that they are lumps in breasts that commonly occur in most women, but are not spreadable. They do not metastasize, and it is not necessary to get them removed. But malignant breast lumps are cancerous and might also be painful to have. They lead to breast cancer, and for that, the treatment should be really aggressive.

Even in breast cancer, there are terms called intra-duct and infiltrating duct when malignant lumps are diagnosed. Among the causes of breast cancer, if it is intra-duct cancer, the damage to the cells is within limits as compared to the infiltrating duct, where the surgery is a little more extensive. Irrespective of the lump type, if you are experiencing either of it, then it is better to get diagnosed, to seek if it is one of the breast cancer types that need attention. An immediate and aggressive approach for diagnosis can help support faster recovery and prevention from severity.

What Are the Causes of Breast Cancer?

Knowing the causes of breast cancer is pretty much important when you intend to address the severity of the breast cancer condition. The main cause for all breast cancer types, is estrogen! It is an important hormone within the female body that is again of two types’ endogenous estrogen and exogenous estrogen.

Endogenous estrogen is the hormone that is produced within the human body, and exogenous estrogen is something that is consumed in the form of therapies or tablets. What is created within the body (the hormone) is something that no one has the potential to change. But, the exposure of women to estrogen, in terms of level and duration, is what increases their risk of experiencing breast cancer.

Therefore, the women who got early periods or the periods have ended early, are not married, have had late children or no children, etc., are more susceptible to breast cancers. Women who are post-menopausal, whose periods have stopped, usually undergo obesity and hormone replacement therapies which increase the risk of breast cancer.

Oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapies are termed as exogenous estrogen sources that risk the cause of cancer. Modern-day hormone therapies are not that risky. But, still, women with a high risk of breast cancer should not get this therapy.

What are the Protective Factors for Breast Cancer?

As you have known the causes and types of breast cancer, it is time for you to understand the protective factors as well. So, the protective factors are:

• Late menarche – Women who have late periods and it goes off early
• Anovulation – Somebody who doesn’t ovulate or get her periods.
• Lowering estrogen levels by several means.

Talking about breast cancer, it is evident that it mostly occurs in post-menopausal conditions. It means that women of age around 40-55 are susceptible to breast cancer. People usually ask questions about what are the chances of a benign breast lump turning cancerous. The only instance where the benign lump is typical ductal hyperplasia with atypia, can turn into cancer. Apart from that, Fibroadenoma, or Fibroadenosis, or any lump or cyst will not turn malignant!

There is a linear relationship between breast cancer and alcohol, which results in obesity and an increase in estrogen levels that might result in breast cancers. Increased alcohol consumption, obesity, lack of exercise are the most important factors that promote this disease. So, avoid them!

Breast Cancer Treatment Cost

This write-up elaborates about the types of breast cancer, along with their severity. Following that, it has also elaborated upon the causes of breast cancer that are responsible for worsening your condition. The protective factors highlighted above enlighten the idea of how to prevent breast cancer.

Apart from that, knowing about the breast cancer types will help you pass on this valuable information to other people who are in need of it. Hence, you can ensure breast cancer prevention for both yourself and for the people around you!

The cost for breast cancer treatment in the US ranges between $20,000 to $100,000. However, the treatments do vary in terms of the severity of the disease. The treatment cost for the same in India ranges between Rs. 5 to 6 lakhs. But, six chemotherapy cycles associated with breast cancer treatment can cost you over Rs.20 lakhs.

Bid Farewell to Unwanted Worries About Breast Cancer

Unless you are diagnosed with any kind of malignant lump, you do not have to worry about anything. And here, the crucial causes of breast cancer and the breast cancer types are elaborated to help you understand when you need to head for a diagnosis. Reach out to the best doctors through reliable platforms for more in-depth knowledge of breast cancer and its treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions