c l i n i c a l f o l i o s : n a r r a t i v e





A D V E R T I S E M E N T

 

Breast Cancer: Background: 4

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

   
 

The most common breast cancer comes from the glands (15%) in the breast or their ducts (75%) and is called adenocarcinoma. The glandular type is called lobular carcinoma and the ductal type is called ductal carcinoma.       

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Breast Cancer: Background: 5

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

   
 

The earliest growth of the common type of breast cancer occurs within the confines of a sheath (basement membrane) surrounding a breast duct. The basement membrane acts as a barrier preventing cells from spreading and the tumor is called ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS). Such foci are often associated with tiny clusters of calcium detectable by mammography and are highly curable (99%).

About 40% of clustered calcifications will turn out to be DCIS on biopsy. The rest are benign. DCIS is believed to develop into invasive cancer if left untreated, but the natural history is still not totally clear. It appears that 20-30% of women diagnosed with DCIS will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. When multiple sites of DCIS are found in one quadrant of the breast it is said to be multifocal. When there are sites in more than one quadrant, it is multicentric.    

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Breast Cancer: Background: 6

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

   
 

Proliferation of lobular cells is called lobular carcinoma in-situ (LCIS) or sometimes lobular neoplasia. LCIS does not present the clinical and mammographic signs seen in DCIS and is more difficult to detect. It is seen predominantly in white women and at a younger age than DCIS. Unlike DCIS, LCIS is not thought to be an immediate precursor of invasive cancer, and is not considered a cancer or treated like a cancer. Excision alone is the treatment. Its presence, however, increases the risk of developing an invasive cancer (usually ductal) in either breast by sevenfold.     

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This page was last modified on 7/9/1999.