Cancerous tumours of the breast
A cancerous tumour of the breast can grow into nearby tissue and destroy it. The tumour can also spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. Cancerous tumours are also called malignant tumours.
Ductal carcinoma and lobular carcinoma
Almost all breast cancers are adenocarcinomas. The most common adenocarcinomas of the breast are:
- ductal carcinoma, which starts in the ducts (tubes that carry milk from the glands to the nipple)
- lobular carcinoma, which starts in the lobules (groups of glands that make milk)
Doctors will classify these tumours as non-invasive or invasive. Non-invasive means that the cancer cells have not spread beyond the duct or gland where they started. Invasive means that the cancer cells have started to spread into the surrounding tissue.
Rare breast tumours
The following cancerous tumours of the breast are rare:
- inflammatory breast cancer
- Paget disease of the breast
- diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- soft tissue sarcoma
- melanoma
-
metaplastic breast cancer -
adenoid cystic carcinoma -
phyllodes tumour -
squamous cell carcinoma
Ductal carcinoma
Lobular carcinoma
Inflammatory breast cancer
Paget disease of the breast
Your trusted source for accurate cancer information
With support from readers like you, we can continue to provide the highest quality cancer information for over 100 types of cancer.
We’re here to ensure easy access to accurate cancer information for you and the millions of people who visit this website every year. But we can’t do it alone.
Every donation helps fund reliable cancer information, compassionate support services and the most promising research. Please give today because every contribution counts. Thank you.