Kinds Of Breast Tumors
Cancer that starts in the tissues of the breast is known as breast cancer. Whereas there are two main types of breast cancer, there are different kinds of breast tumors, some benign in nature while others are cancerous in nature.
Although rare in nature, breast cancer can start in other areas of the breast, the two main types of breast cancer are:
– The Ductal carcinoma which starts in the ducts or tubes that transport milk from the breast to the nipple, of which type of breast cancer is the most common.
– The Lobular carcinoma which starts in parts of the breast that produce milk, known as lobules.
Different kinds of breast tumors are as a result of one form of breast cancer or the other. In some instances, a single breast tumor could be as a result of a combination of the different types of breast cancer. In essence, breast cancer can be noninvasive or invasive in nature, with the invasive breast cancer being the one that has spread from the lobule or milk duct to other tissues in the breast, while the noninvasive breast cancer being that which has not yet invaded other breast tissue.
There are basically two kinds of breast tumors, the benign breast tumor and the malignant breast tumor. The Benign breast tumor is not cancerous in nature and when determined as such is normally left alone, although on occasions when it grows and presses on organs thereby causing pains or other problems, it is removed. The malignant breast tumor on the other hand is cancerous in nature, it is also aggressive in its invasion and damage of surrounding breast tissue.
Of the two kinds of breast tumors, the benign breast tumor is the most common when a breast examination is done. Examples of benign breast tumors include:
– Fibroadenomas which will appear in the breast like marble-like lumps and are composed of both connective and granular tissue.
– Granular cell tumors which are not so common and appear in breasts as movable, firm lumps.
– Intraductal papillomas which are small wart-like growths in the breast ducts. In some instances, they cause a bloody nipple discharge. They are composed of fibrous tissue, glandular tissue and blood vessels.
– Pyllodes tumor which is very rare as far as breast tumors go, this type of tumor forms in the connective tissue, is not responsive to hormonal therapy and is less responsive to radiation or chemotherapy when compared to other breast cancers.
– Fat necrosis is common to obese women with large breasts. Although not technically a breast tumor, it is mentioned because it is usually mistaken for one. It is basically the death of fat cells, which usually follows an injury thereby causing scar tissue to form at the site of the injury.
Other kinds of breast tumor which are not all that common include the Paget disease of the nipple, the triple-negative breast cancer, the inflammatory breast cancer and Angiosarcoma to mention but a few. At the end of the day, with the different kinds of breast tumor, breast examinations will offer you a more conclusive view as to whether there are cancerous or non-cancerous in nature.
