Classifications
Breast cancer can begin in different areas of the breast – the ducts, the lobules, or in some cases, the tissue in between. In this section, you can learn about the different types of breast cancer, including non-invasive, invasive, recurrent, and metastatic breast cancers. You can also read about breast cancer in men.
- DCIS – Ductal Carcinoma In Situ
- LCIS – Lobular Carcinoma In Situ
- IDC – Invasive Ductal Carcinoma
- Less Common Subtypes of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma
- ILC – Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
- Paget's Disease of the Nipple
- Inflammatory Breast Cancer
- Male Breast Cancer
- Recurrent and Metastatic Breast Cancer
Another Classifications
Stage. The TNM classification for breast cancer is based on the size of the tumor (T), whether or not the tumor has spread to the lymph nodes (N) in the armpits, and whether the tumor has metastasized (M) or spread to a more distant part of the body. Larger size, nodal spread, and metastasis have a worse prognosis.
Grade (Bloom-Richardson grade). When cells become differentiated, they take different shapes and forms to function as part of an organ. Cancerous cells lose that differentiation. Cells that normally line up in an orderly way to make up the milk ducts become disorganized. Cell division becomes uncontrolled. Cell nuclei become less uniform. Pathologists describe cells as well differentiated (low grade), moderately differentiated (intermediate grade), and poorly differentiated (high grade). Poorly-differentiated cancers have a worse prognosis.
