Breast cancer unfortunately is a common killer in the United States, next to heart disease there is none worse. Breast cancer is a form of cancer where malignancies begin in the tissue of the breast and if not treated effectively and quickly, can spread to other parts of the body. In the greatest majority of cases, the patient is female however it is not unknown for men to get breast cancer as well.
There are many different types of breast cancer but by far the most common is invasive ductal carcinoma. This form of female breast cancer accounts for a full 70 percent of the cancer types. This cancer begins in the breast ducts; it infiltrates the walls of the ducts until it reaches the fatty tissue of the breast. Once it reaches this stage it has the ability to spread, primarily through the lymphatic system. Those physicians who carry out breast cancer surgery in Reading PA are faced with this type of cancer frequently.
The second most common breast cancer, which only represents about 10 percent of the cases, is called invasive lobular carcinoma. In this form of the disease the cancer begins in the ducts of the breast that produce milk.
A further three percent of the cases are a form of breast cancer called medullar carcinoma. This form is easy for the surgeon to spot as the cancerous cells are quite large and the cells of the immune system collect around the edges of the affected tissue. Because of this phenomenon, treating this form of breast cancer is the easiest to treat.
The remaining types of cancers are those which affect the nipple area and the areole as well as cancer that affect the skin. In the case of Paget’s disease, the type of cancer that affects the nipple area, the symptoms are redness and itching and when the skin is affected it is manifested with a sensation of warmth, it appears as if the skin of the breast is infected.
It is important that women who are over the age of 40 have a mammogram every year. The early detection of any of the forms of breast cancer can perhaps eliminate the need for radical breast cancer surgery in Reading PA.
