The Different Types of Breast Cancer, Explained

Metastatic Breast Cancer

Metastatic breast cancer is an indication cancer has migrated from the breasts to other parts of the body. Some of the common sites the disease manifests include the lungs, liver, bones, and brain. It occurs several months or years after primary cancer, and sometimes, it is a re-occurrence of the breast cancer after diagnosis and treatment. Almost three in ten women diagnosed with breast cancer will develop metastatic disease.

Cancer cells from the breast travel to other parts of the body either through the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. Although it can be managed and treated, thus extending the patient's life, it cannot be cured. Some of the treatment options include surgery, radiation, and hormonal therapy The symptoms and treatment options mainly depend on the site of the tumors. Metastatic breast cancer is the most significant cause of death for breast cancer patients, accounting for about ninety percent of all cases.

Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer a form of breast malignancy where cancerous cells cause an obstruction in the lymph vessels in the skin of an affected individual's breast. This form of breast cancer accounts for between one and five percent of all breast cancers diagnosed in the United States. The majority of inflammatory breast cancers are those that have developed from the cells making up the lining of an individual's milk ducts that have spread into surrounding lymph tissues and are referred to as invasive ductal carcinomas.

Most individuals diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer are already in stage III or IV at the time of diagnosis because it spreads rapidly. Most inflammatory breast cancers cannot be treated with the use of hormone therapies or are considered hormone receptor-negative. Compared to other forms of breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer tends to occur in women of younger ages. The symptoms that distinguish inflammatory breast cancer from other types are redness and swelling of over thirty-three percent of the breast.