Breast cancer is not associated with age, social class or gender. Pathology can appear in every person. However, in percentage terms, the proportion of men among the sick is negligible. There are different forms of breast cancer. In this article, we will dwell on the invasive variant of the pathology in more detail.
The structure of the female breast
To better understand the pathogenesis of the disease, it is necessary to understand the anatomy of the breast. It is customary to distinguish the following parts in its structure:
- fat;
- connective tissue;
- mammary glands;
- ducts;
- breast lobules.
Another important part of the chest are lymphadenitis. They trap cancerous elements and harmful microorganisms, performing a protective function.
Pregnancy promotes increased milk production in the glands. Then it flows out of the nipples through the ducts. Certain types of malignant neoplasms of the gland begin their development by affecting several thoracic ducts. These include invasive cancer.
Description of the disease
Invasive breast cancer isserious cancer. It is characterized by the spread of the tumor into fatty or connective tissues. Invasion is understood as the ability of malignant elements to separate from the primary focus and quickly affect the surrounding organs. This is one of the conditions for tumor metastasis. The tactics of treatment depends on the invasiveness or non-invasiveness of the neoplasm.
In this disease, cancer cells rapidly infect nearby lymph nodes. At advanced stages, their activity extends to the spinal cord, liver and kidneys. If malignant elements are found outside the mammary glands, this type of pathology is called metastatic breast cancer.
Main reasons
Invasive breast cancer progresses slowly. Its occurrence may be preceded by precancerous diseases, such as mastopathy. Let us consider in more detail the main causes of the pathology.
- Mastopathy. The disease develops against the background of an imbalance of hormones in the body. Most often diagnosed in women under 40 years of age. Mastopathy is characterized by severe pain, discharge from the nipples. Tumor-like nodules form in the breast, which leads to changes in the tissues of the organ and cancer.
- Fibroadenomas. This pathology mainly develops in young girls. Nodular formations of a benign nature appear in the chest. As a result of injury, lack of treatment or hormonal failure, they begin to increase in size, affecting he althy tissues.
- Abortion. Surgical manipulations not only terminate the pregnancy, but can provoke the regression of glandular tissues. As a result, lumps form from which cancer develops.
- Lactation. Not breastfeeding is another cause of invasive cancer.
- Lack of intimacy. Irregular sex life disrupts the hormonal balance in the body, which negatively affects the condition of the mammary glands.
Clinical manifestations of the disease
No one can be immune from breast cancer. According to statistics, every ninth of the fair sex suffers from manifestations of this disease. According to doctors, there may be several times more patients. More than a million women are unaware of the presence of a tumor. In the early stages, the pathology is almost asymptomatic, and it can be diagnosed only with the help of a comprehensive examination. Unfortunately, the appearance of the first signs often means that the disease has moved to a new stage of development. What are the symptoms of invasive breast cancer?
- Nipple skin color change.
- Appearance of a small lump or lump in the chest area.
- Change in the size and shape of the breast.
- Bleeding from the nipples causing burning and discomfort.
If these symptoms are present, you should immediately consult a doctor to identify the causes.
Disease forms
In medicalLiterature describes several variants of pathologies that represent invasive breast cancer. These diseases include:
- Pre-invasive cancer. The neoplasm does not spread to neighboring organs, but remains in the milk ducts.
- Lobular cancer. The disease is diagnosed extremely rarely (in 15% of cases). The neoplasm develops in the lobules and ducts of the glands, can metastasize to neighboring tissues. The main symptom of pathology is chest pain on palpation.
- Invasive ductal carcinoma. The neoplasm is formed in the milk ducts. Malignant cells gradually multiply in adipose tissue, but quickly metastasize to other organs. Ductal cancer is considered the most common form of invasive breast disease (about 80% of cases among all cancers).
Diagnostic Methods
Diagnosis of a disease usually begins with a self-examination. The structure of the female breast allows you to identify seals on palpation. Changes in the skin, shape of the nipple, and other symptoms that indicate the severity of the pathology can also be detected independently. If you suspect a disease, you should consult a doctor. The specialist should conduct a physical examination and order an additional examination. Usually, mammography, ultrasound of the mammary glands and MRI are used for diagnosis. If a tumor is found, a biopsy is performed. The resulting samples are then sent to the laboratory for analysis. The results of the study allow us to determine the hormonal status of the tumor, its features.
Separately, we should talk about when and why to donate blood for tumor markers. This analysis is used to diagnose the disease, and then to monitor ongoing treatment. Tumor markers are macromolecules that are synthesized in a woman's body in response to the activity of cancer elements. When their level exceeds the norm, we can talk about the presence of a pathological process, but not always. In some cases, an increase in the number of macromolecules in the blood indicates an allergy, benign formation or inflammation. If invasive cancer is suspected, the concentration of the following tumor markers should be checked: CA 15-3, CA 27-29, HER2. To obtain reliable results on the eve of the test, you should rest, do not take alcohol. Blood for tumor markers is taken from a vein. The results are interpreted by a doctor in the laboratory.
Therapy options
There are several methods of dealing with invasive cancer: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, biological, hormone therapy. Usually, complex treatment is used. First, the doctor removes the neoplasm. The patient is then given radiation therapy. It allows you to increase the effectiveness of the treatment by 70%. Irradiation is necessarily shown to patients whose tumor size exceeds 5 cm. Chemo-, hormone- and biological therapies are used as systemic methods of fighting cancer. If progesterone or estrogen receptors are detected in the tissues of the gland, hormonal treatment is used. In the absence of these elements, chemotherapy is prescribed.
Prognosis for recovery
Prognosis for this disease depends on the results of the therapy. Invasive lesions of the mammary glands are characterized by a high percentage of deaths. Therefore, many states are beginning to introduce screening programs that allow to detect oncology at an early stage. There are four of them in total. Invasive breast cancer of the 2nd degree or 1st, diagnosed in a timely manner, in 90% of cases ends in recovery. Positive dynamics is possible only with proper treatment. The survival rate for oncology of the 3rd degree is 47%, and for the 4th - about 16%. In the later stages, invasive breast cancer is difficult to treat. The prognosis worsens significantly with the appearance of metastases.
