Breast Cancer

Ductal carcinoma starts in the milk ducts, which are tubes that carry milk from the breast to the nipple. It’s the most common kind of breast cancer. Most ductal carcinoma spreads to tissue outside the milk duct and can spread to other parts of the body. When it spreads, it’s called invasive ductal carcinoma or infiltrating ductal carcinoma.

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare and aggressive type of cancer that needs to be treated quickly. The cancer cells block lymph vessels in the breast, which can cause the breast to become red and swollen. Inflammatory breast cancer tends to happen at a younger age.

Lobular carcinoma begins in the lobules, or milk glands, of the breast. Noninvasive lobular carcinoma rarely spreads outside the breast. But invasive lobular carcinoma — the second most common type of breast cancer — can spread to surrounding tissue and through the blood and lymph systems to other parts of the body.

Triple-negative breast cancer can be more aggressive and tends to happen at a younger age. Triple-negative breast cancer typically does not respond well to hormonal therapies or HER2-specific treatments, but there are plenty of other treatment options available.

Paget’s disease of the breast, also called Paget’s disease of the nipple, is rare. It affects the nipple and the dark circle around it called the areola. This disease can cause skin irritation, itchiness, redness or flakiness. Most people with Paget’s disease of the breast also have another form of cancer inside the breast.

Fewer than one percent of breast cancer cases occur in men. Most breast cancer in men is ductal carcinoma. Because men don’t get mammograms and may not be aware of breast cancer risk, they tend to get diagnosed at later stages.

Although breast cancer affects people of all ages, most women who get it are older than 50, and most men who get it are older than 60.

More than 99 percent of breast cancer cases are diagnosed in women.

If you’ve had breast cancer, your risk for getting it again is slightly higher. However, newer treatments can lower the risk of a second breast cancer.

Most people who get breast cancer have no family history of the disease. But about 10 percent of breast cancer cases are hereditary. You may be two to three times more likely to develop breast cancer if your mother, sister or daughter has had the disease.

Many, but not all, cases of hereditary breast cancer are linked to mutations in the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. If you have a family history of breast cancer, we may recommend genetic testing to determine your risk and create a plan for prevention and early diagnosis.

Five percent of breast cancer cases are linked with mutations (damage to your DNA) in the genes BRCA1, BRCA2 and PALB2. These mutations are sometimes inherited, but not always.

The BRCA genes and the PALB2 gene normally function as caretaker genes. They help cells repair their DNA when it becomes damaged. Most people have two normal copies of these genes, which means they are at a lower risk of developing breast cancer than those with a mutation.

Women with a BRCA mutation also have an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer. Men with BRCA mutations may be at an increased risk of developing male breast cancer and prostate cancer. PALB2 mutations are also linked with pancreatic cancer.

Miami Cancer Institute can provide genetic testing and counseling to help you find out whether you and your relatives have these mutations. You and your relatives might benefit from genetic testing and counseling if:

• Multiple members of your family have had breast cancer, ovarian cancer or other types of cancer.
• You were diagnosed when you were younger than 50.
• You have had breast cancer in both breasts.
• Your breast cancer is triple negative.

If you had your first period before age 12 or went through menopause after age 55, your risk of breast cancer is slightly higher.

Some noncancerous breast conditions can increase the future likelihood of breast cancer.

If you had your first baby after the age of 30 or have never had children, you’re at a slightly higher risk of breast cancer than women who gave birth before age 30.

Using some birth control pills can raise your risk of breast cancer very slightly. The increased risk disappears about a decade after you stop taking them. However, oral birth control may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.

Using certain hormone replacement therapies after menopause slightly raises your risk of breast cancer. This added risk disappears about three to five years after you stop taking the hormones. The greatest risk is associated with combination hormone replacement therapy, which uses both estrogen and progestin, instead of estrogen alone.

Extra weight can increase your risk of breast cancer. It also increases the possibility that breast cancer will return after treatment, particularly after menopause. Being overweight means you have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher. Obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or higher.

If you had radiation therapy to the chest or breasts before age 30, you may have a higher risk of getting breast cancer later in life.