What are the subtypes of breast cancer?

What is the easiest breast cancer to treat?

Ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS

The cancer cells have not spread through the walls of the ducts into the nearby breast tissue. Nearly all women with DCIS can be cured.

What type breast cancer has the highest recurrence rate?

Research suggests that estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer is more likely to come back more than five years after diagnosis. In this study, the researchers looked at the risk of late breast cancer recurrence, meaning the breast cancer came back 10 or more years after diagnosis.

What is the least aggressive type of breast cancer?

Luminal A — the least aggressive and most common subtype — accounts for 42% to 59% of all breast cancers, according to background information in the study. Luminal B typically occurs in younger women and accounts for about 10% of all breast cancers.

What is an aggressive breast cancer?

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is considered an aggressive cancer because it grows quickly, is more likely to have spread at the time it’s found, and is more likely to come back after treatment than other types of breast cancer. The outlook is generally not as good as it is for other types of breast cancer.

Is HER2 positive breast cancer more aggressive?

This protein promotes the growth of cancer cells. In about 1 of every 5 breast cancers, the cancer cells have extra copies of the gene that makes the HER2 protein. HER2 -positive breast cancers tend to be more aggressive than other types of breast cancer.

What is the survival rate of invasive ductal carcinoma?

The five-year survival rate for localized invasive ductal carcinoma is high — nearly 100% when treated early on. If the cancer has spread to other tissues in the region, the five-year survival rate is 86%. If the cancer has metastasized to distant areas of your body, the five-year survival rate is 28%.

How quickly does invasive ductal carcinoma spread?

Each division takes about 1 to 2 months, so a detectable tumor has likely been growing in the body for 2 to 5 years. Generally speaking, the more cells divide, the bigger the tumor grows.

What stage is invasive ductal carcinoma?

Generally, the stage of invasive ductal carcinoma is described as a number on a scale of I through IV. Stages I, II, and III describe early-stage cancers, and stage IV describes cancers that have spread outside the breast to other parts of the body, such as the bones or liver.

How serious is ductal carcinoma?

DCIS is non-invasive because it hasn’t spread beyond the milk ducts into other healthy tissue. DCIS isn’t life-threatening, but if you’re diagnosed with DCIS, you have a higher-than-average risk of developing invasive breast cancer later in life.

Is ductal carcinoma aggressive?

DCIS is a noninvasive form of early breast cancer in which abnormal cells are localized to milk ducts in the breast. In some cases, however, DCIS may become aggressive and spread to surrounding tissue, but until now pathologists have not had a way to identify which cases may become invasive.

Do I need a mastectomy for DCIS?

Most women with DCIS or breast cancer can choose to have breast-sparing surgery, usually followed by radiation therapy. Most women with DCIS or breast cancer can choose to have a mastectomy. You have small breasts and a large area of DCIS or cancer. You have DCIS or cancer in more than one part of your breast.

Is ductal carcinoma curable?

Treatment of DCIS has a high likelihood of success, in most instances removing the tumor and preventing any recurrence. In most people, treatment options for DCIS include: Breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) and radiation therapy.

How long is chemo for invasive ductal carcinoma?

An entire course of chemotherapy usually takes approximately three to six months to complete, and can be repeated as necessary. Invasive ductal carcinoma chemotherapy can be effective for treating many types of breast cancer, including: Triple negative breast cancer. HER2/neu-positive breast cancer.

Is surgery necessary for invasive ductal carcinoma?

While surgery is typically the first treatment recommended for invasive ductal carcinoma, chemotherapy or radiation treatment may be given beforehand to shrink large tumors, or afterward to destroy any residual cells.

Is chemotherapy needed for DCIS?

Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is not needed for DCIS since the disease is noninvasive. Hormonal (endocrine) therapy. Hormonal (endocrine) therapy may be appropriate for those whose ductal carcinoma in situ is hormone receptor positive.

Why did I get DCIS?

DCIS forms when genetic mutations occur in the DNA of breast duct cells. The genetic mutations cause the cells to appear abnormal, but the cells don’t yet have the ability to break out of the breast duct. Researchers don’t know exactly what triggers the abnormal cell growth that leads to DCIS.

Should I get a double mastectomy for DCIS?

“The findings suggest that patients and their doctors should focus on risk factors and appropriate therapy for the diseased breast, not the opposite breast, and that ipsilateral DCIS should not prompt a bilateral mastectomy.”