Category Archives: Ductal Carcinoma In Situ

What is the most common type of Breast Cancer?

What is the most common Breast Cancer?

Ductal Carcinoma is the most common type of breast cancer.  There are two types:  Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS)which is considered a pre-malignancy of the breast and there is Invasive Ductal Carcinoma of the breast.

The ducts refer to milk ducts.  This type of cancer comes from the lining of a milk duct within the breast.  These ducts carry milk from the lobules where the milk is made.

 

 

Nipple Discharge

Unilateral Nipple Discharge – spontaneous and persistent

  • Associated with a increased risk of carcinoma.
  • Can be clear, serous, serosanguinous or bloody
  • Nipple aspirate cytology isn’t popular as a diagnostic
  • Most common etiologies are intraductal papilloma and mammary duct ectasia
  • Doesn’t matter what’s found on radiology, open surgical biopsy is preferred
  • Directed duct excision plus excision of the surround area after ductogram.  Rule out papillary carcinoma of the breast.
  • Central duct excision (non-directed duct excision) is not as accurate.
  • If the lesion is deep, radiologist may help with needle localization with excision
  • DCIS = Ductal Carcinoma In Situ is the malignancy most commolny found in intraductal lesions with pathological nipple discharge.
  • Papillary carcinoma of the breast is a subset of DCIS.

Intraductal Papilloma

  • Benign
  • Most common cause of bloody nipple discharge
  • A single intraductal papilloma doesn’t increase the risk of breast cancer, but multiple papillomas does increase the risk slightly.

Mammary duct ectasia

  • Milk ducts beneath the nipple become dilated, thickened, and filled with fluid and thus have some discharge
  • Benign
  • Often improves without treatment.