A Commitment to Excellence
Types of Breast Cancer
There are several types of breast cancer, with each defined by the specific breast cells that become cancerous. These include:
This cancer starts in your breast milk ducts before spreading through the walls and into surrounding tissue. This is the most common type of breast cancer, accounting for 80 percent of cases.
This is also called Stage 0 breast cancer because the cancerous cells have not yet spread beyond the milk ducts. If detected early, treatment usually prevents spread to other tissues.
This cancer starts in the breast lobules – where milk production happens – before spreading to surrounding tissue. This represents 10 percent to 15 percent of breast cancers.
This is a precancerous condition that occurs before abnormal cells spread beyond the breast lobules. While not a true cancer, it indicates the potential for breast cancer and should lead to regular clinical breast exams and mammograms.
This is an aggressive type of invasive breast cancer that is one of the most difficult to treat. It is called triple negative because it lacks three markers associated with other breast cancers.
This is a rare breast cancer that blocks lymph vessels in the skin, causing the breast to look inflamed or infected.
This is a rare cancer that starts in the breast ducts and spreads to the skin of your nipple and areola.
This extremely rare cancer starts in cells that line your blood vessels or lymph vessels before spreading to breast tissue or skin. It may be related to previous radiation therapy in the area.
These tumors start in breast connective tissue but are rarely malignant.
This rare cancer forms in the breast tissue of men, most commonly after the age of 60.
Symptoms
Breast cancer symptoms can vary widely from person to person. Some people may exhibit no symptoms. Warnings signs include:
A lump or thickening of tissue in the breast or armpit
A newly inverted nipple
Nipple discharge other than breast milk
Irritated or dimpled breast skin
Change in breast size, shape or appearance
Pain in any area of the breast
Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area
Pain the nipple area
Services We Offer
Our holistic cancer program is built to anticipate and provide for every need you might have during your cancer journey. Bringing together a multidisciplinary team allows us to remove as much stress as possible and help you focus on your health and wellness. The Breast Care Center at the Orlando Health Cancer Institute is a one-stop shop, offering everything from diagnosis to treatment to post-treatment care.
Key to developing a treatment plan is getting an accurate diagnosis of your cancer. The Orlando Health Cancer Institute’s breast imaging team is highly skilled at providing a quick and accurate diagnosis, using advanced imaging tools, including mammograms, ultrasound and MRI scans. These imaging scans help your doctor pinpoint the location of the suspicious breast lump and recommend a biopsy, if warranted. Additional tests may be suggested to assess whether cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
<p>During a biopsy, your surgeon removes a small sample of tissue from the suspected tumor. Lab testing will reveal whether the sample is cancerous. Orlando Health Cancer Institute uses image-guided biopsies to increase the accuracy of these procedures. During the procedure, a tiny “reflector” is placed in the tumor. During surgery, the surgeon will detect the location of the reflector using non-radioactive radar waves through a technology called wire-free radar localization.</p>
Surgery is a common treatment for breast cancer, often in addition to other therapies, including chemotherapy. Surgery is generally divided into two types:
- Lumpectomy: Your surgeon removes the tumor and a small amount of healthy tissue surrounding it. This is also referred to as breast-conserving surgery or partial mastectomy. This may be an option if you have early-stage breast cancer. It is often followed by radiation therapy to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence.
- Mastectomy: For more advanced cancers, a mastectomy removes one or both breasts. Depending on the size and location of the tumor, your surgeon may be able use a procedure that saves the skin, nipple and areola. During a mastectomy, it may also be necessary to remove lymph nodes from your armpit. A procedure known as a sentinel node biopsy is used to determine whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. Our surgeons can perform lymphovenous bypass surgery to reduce the chances of fluid buildup known as lymphedema that can occur after lymph nodes have been removed.
For women who are having a lumpectomy or mastectomy, breast reconstruction is often an important part of the care plan. That’s why Orlando Health Cancer Institute works closely with the Orlando Health Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery Institute to provide you with the best results possible. Our breast surgeons and plastic and reconstructive surgeons work as a team, offering advanced surgical options designed to restore appearance and preserve sensation when possible. Reconstruction is a personal decision that can follow many paths, depending on your health and wishes. Some women choose reconstruction immediately after their cancer surgery, while others wait for months or years.
A primary avenue of treatment for most cancers, even those that require surgery, is medical oncology. These treatments, which may be paired with surgery, use medications, biological therapies and targeted treatments to attack cancerous cells.
- Chemotherapy: Powerful drugs are used to destroy cancer cells. This may be given before your surgery to reduce the size of the tumor and make it easier to remove. Chemotherapy may also be used after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells.
- Targeted Therapy: Some cancers have particular features (a gene or protein, for example) that make them more vulnerable to certain drugs. Targeted therapies take advantage of this by zeroing in on those features. These treatments are designed to attack the cancerous cells, while limiting damage to healthy cells.
- Hormone Therapy: About two-thirds of breast cancers are known as hormone receptor-positive, which means they can be fueled by estrogen and/or progesterone hormones. Hormone therapy blocks production of those hormones in your body, depriving the cancer of its food source. This can reduce the size of a tumor before surgery, reduce the chance of a recurrence and stop later stage cancers from growing.
- Immunotherapy: This advanced treatment uses drugs that boost your own immune system to help it fight the cancer. This can be particularly helpful when the body's immune system fails to recognize breast cancer as a danger. Some treatments can essentially remind your immune system to attack those cancerous cells.
Radiation therapy is often used after surgery to kill remaining cancer cells. The treatment uses high-intensity beams of energy to target cancer cells, whose fast-growing nature makes them more vulnerable than healthy cells. Radiation may also be used to offer comfort for some late-stage cancers. The most common form of this treatment, external beam radiation, fires the beam into the body from the outside. Another form of the treatment, brachytherapy, places a tiny radioactive source inside your body, directly next to the tumor. Orlando Health Cancer Institute is a leader in advances that make these treatments faster and more accurate.
Learning more about your genetics can play an important role in fighting cancer and in assessing future risk for you and your family. The Cancer Genetics and High-Risk Care Center is the most comprehensive clinic of its kind in Central Florida. We help patients and their families learn more about inherited cancer risks – and steps that can be taken to protect their health. Your cancer also has its own genetic characteristics. Testing your tumor offers insights (including a tumor’s particular weaknesses) that may be used to develop your personalized treatment plan.
Your care doesn’t end on the final day of your treatment. Every cancer survivor has needs, which may vary from one person to the next. The Orlando Health Survivorship program is open to anyone who has completed cancer treatment. We understand the lasting impact of a cancer diagnosis and treatment, whether it is financial, social or psychological. We will be there for you as long as you need us, offering follow-up visits with your doctor, continued screening and access to counseling, education, support groups and social workers.
Clinical trials play a critical role in the development of new medicines, surgeries, diagnostic tools and new uses for current treatments. The Orlando Health Research and Clinical Trials Program provides our researchers with the opportunity to help deliver new treatments that can make a difference in the lives of our patients. This research brings significant benefits for our patients, who gain early access to these new treatments. Taking part in a trial also gives you the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping others.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common signs include a lump in the breast, changes in breast shape, skin dimpling or nipple discharge. Unfortunately, for some patients, there are no obvious symptoms, particularly in early stages. That’s why routine screening is important.
Not every breast cancer lump feels the same, but they are often hard, have an irregular shape and are painless. If you notice any new or unusual change in your breast, talk to your doctor.
In the early stages, there is rarely any pain. But some patients experience discomfort, tenderness or a burning sensation.
Other potential symptoms include skin dimpling, nipple inversion, redness, swelling or unusual discharge.
Yes. Routine mammograms often detect breast cancer before symptoms appear.
Breast cancer is often suggested by diagnostic imaging, including mammograms and ultrasound. A biopsy confirms the presence of cancer cells.
Treatment depends on the type and stage of cancer. Options include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or targeted therapies.
No. Treatment plans vary from one person to the next, based on the specific cancer and your own characteristics.
