The body is made up of various kinds of cells, which normally divide in an orderly way to produce more cells only when they are needed. Cancer is a group of diseases - more than 100 types - that occur when cells become abnormal and divide without control or order.
When cells divide when new cells are not needed, too much tissue is formed. This mass of extra tissue, called a tumor, can be benign or malignant.
There are several types of breast cancer, including:
When breast cancer metastasizes, or spreads outside the breast, cancer cells are often found in the lymph nodes under the arm. If the cancer has reached these nodes, it may mean that cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body.
Cancer that spreads is the same disease and has the same name as the original, or primary cancer. When breast cancer spreads, it is called metastatic breast cancer, even though the secondary tumor is in another organ. This may also be called "distant" disease.
Types of breast cancer, in alphabetical order, are:
| adenocarcinoma
ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) infiltrating (or invasive) ductal carcinoma (IDC) infiltrating (or invasive) lobular carcinoma (ILC) inflammatory breast cancer lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) (also called lobular neoplasia) |
medullary carcinoma
mucinous carcinoma Paget's disease of the nipple phyllodes tumor (also spelled phylloides) tubular carcinoma |
Listed in the directory below you will find some additional information regarding breast cancer, for which we have provided a brief overview.
If you cannot find the information in which you are interested, please visit the Online Resources page in this Web site for an Internet/World Wide Web address that may contain additional information on that topic.
National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP)
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