Invasive (Infiltrating) Ductal Carcinoma: Grades, Treatments ...

Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) is the most common form of breast cancer. It starts in your milk ducts and spreads to your surrounding ... ThinkyoumayhaveCOVID-19? Findoutwhereyoucangettested Needavaccineorbooster? Scheduletoday ComingtoaClevelandCliniclocation? Visitationandmaskrequirements Home / HealthLibrary / Disease&Conditions Invasive(Infiltrating)DuctalCarcinoma Invasiveductalcarcinoma(IDC)isthemostcommonformofbreastcancer.Itstartsinyourmilkductsandspreadstoyoursurroundingbreasttissues.Eventually,itcanspreadtoyourlymphnodesandotherareasofyourbody.Whendetectedandtreatedearly,invasiveductalcarcinomahasahighsurvivalrate. CancerAnswerLine866.223.8100 Appointments&Locations DownloadaTreatmentGuide SearchClinicalTrials Overview SymptomsandCauses DiagnosisandTests ManagementandTreatment Prevention Outlook/Prognosis LivingWith FrequentlyAskedQuestions Invasive(Infiltrating)DuctalCarcinoma Overview SymptomsandCauses DiagnosisandTests ManagementandTreatment Prevention Outlook/Prognosis LivingWith FrequentlyAskedQuestions BackToTop Overview Whatisinvasiveductalcarcinoma? Invasiveductalcarcinoma(IDC)beginswhenabnormalcellsforminyourmilkductsandspreadtootherpartsofyourbreasttissue.It’sthemostcommontypeofbreastcancer,makingupabout80%ofallbreastcancercases.Invasiveductalcarcinomaisalsothetypeofbreastcancerthatmostcommonlyaffectsmen(malebreastcancer).Thisconditionissometimescalledductalcarcinoma,infiltratingductalcarcinomaorIDCbreastcancer. What’sthedifferencebetweeninvasiveductalcarcinomaandductalcarcinomainsitu? Ductalcarcinomainsitu(DCIS)meansthatthecancercellsarestillcontainedinyourmilkducts.Invasiveductalcarcinoma(IDC)meansthatthecancerhasbeguntospreadto(orinvade)yoursurroundingbreasttissue. Whodoesinvasiveductalcarcinomaaffect? Invasiveductalcarcinomacanaffectbothmenandwomen.It’smorecommoninpeopleover55,butitcanoccuratanyage.Transwomenhaveahigherriskofdevelopingbreastcancercomparedtocisgendermen,whiletransmenhavealowerriskofdevelopingbreastcancercomparedtocisgenderwomen. Howcommonisinvasiveductalcarcinoma? Thistypeofbreastcancerisextremelycommon.Approximatelyeightoutof10breastcancersarediagnosedasinvasiveductalcarcinomas. Whatcanyoutellmeaboutinvasiveductalcarcinomastages? Stagingdescribeshowadvancedyourcanceris,basedonthelocation,sizeandhowfarithasspread.Therearefivestagesofductalcarcinoma: Stage0:Thecancerislocalizedtoyourmilkducts.Thisstageisalsoknownasnon-invasiveductalcarcinomainsitu. Stage1:Thecancerhasspreadoutsideofyourmilkductstothebreasttissue,butithasn’tspreadtoyourlymphnodes.Insomecases,thecancermayhavespreadtoyourlymphnodes,butnottoyoursurroundingbreasttissue. Stage2:Thetumorissmallandhasspreadtoonetothreeofyourlymphnodes.Or,thetumorislarger,buthasn’tspreadtoanyofyourlymphnodes. Stage3:Thecancerhasoftenspreadtomorethanthreeofyourlymphnodesoriscausinginflammationofmostofyourbreastskin,buthasn’tspreadtootherareasofyourbody. Stage4:Thecancerhasspreadtoyourotherorgans,whichmayincludeyourbones,liver,lungs,brain,chestwallordistantlymphnodes. SymptomsandCauses Whatarethesymptomsofinvasiveductalcarcinoma? Intheearlystages,invasiveductalcarcinomamaynotcauseanyobvioussymptoms.Somepeoplemaydevelopcertainwarningsigns,including: Anewlumpinthebreast. Swellingofthebreast. Breastpain(mastalgia). Nipplepain. Dimpling. Skinirritation. Rednessorscaliness. Alumpnearthearmpit. Invertednipple. Thickeningofthebreastskinornipple. Dischargefromthenipplethatisn’tbreastmilk. Whatcausesinvasiveductalcarcinoma? Expertsdon’tfullyunderstandwhatcausesinvasiveductalcarcinoma.Certainriskfactorshavebeenidentified,however.Theseinclude: Smoking. Alcoholuse. Beingoverweight. Priorradiationtothechest. Earlystartofmenstrualperiods. Latemenopause. Neverbeingpregnantorhavingchildrenlaterinlife. Inapproximately5%to10%ofbreastcancercases,invasiveductalcarcinomahasbeenlinkedtohereditaryfactors.Theseincludemutationsofthebreastcancergene1(BRCA1),breastcancergene2(BRCA2)andothergenessuchasPALB2,CHEK2andATM. Howdoesinvasiveductalcarcinomaspread? Astheterms“invasive”and“infiltrating”suggest,thecancerhasalreadyspreadtoyoursurroundingbreasttissuesatthetimeofdiagnosis.Eventually,itcanspreadtoyourlymphnodes,throughyourbloodandotherareasofyourbody,includingyourliver,lungs,boneandbrain. DiagnosisandTests Howisinvasiveductalcarcinomadiagnosed? Yourhealthcareproviderwillperformaphysicalexamination.Inadditiontofeelingforlumpsinyourbreast,theymayalsofeelforswollenlymphnodesinyourunderarmarea. Inmostcases,invasiveductalcarcinomaisfoundduringroutinemammograms.(That’swhyregularscreeningsaresoimportant.)IfyourhealthcareproviderthinksyoumayhaveIDC,theymayorderothertests,including: Magneticresonanceimaging(MRI).Thisimagingtestusesradiowavesandmagnetstoproducedetailedpicturesofyourbreasttissue. Ultrasound.Usinghigh-frequencysoundwaves,anultrasoundprovidesclearimagesofyourinternalorgansandothertissues. Biopsy.Yourhealthcareprovidertakesasmallsampleofyourbreasttissuewithaneedle.Thesampleisthensenttoapathologylabforfurthertesting. ManagementandTreatment Howisinvasiveductalcarcinomatreated? Thereareseveralapproachesthatcanbeusedwhentreatingthistypeofbreastcancer.Specifictreatmentdependsonthesizeandlocationofyourtumor,yourhealingcapacityandyourpersonalpreferences.Invasiveductalcarcinomatreatmentsinclude: Breastcancersurgery.Asurgeonremovesthetumorandconfirmswhetherornotthecancerhasspreadtothelymphnodes.Somepeoplemayonlyhavethetumorremoved(lumpectomy),whileothersmayhavesomeoralloftheirbreasttissueremoved(mastectomy). Chemotherapy.Forpeoplewithinvasiveductalcarcinoma,chemotherapymaybegivenbeforesurgerytoshrinkthetumororaftersurgerytoreducethechanceofcancerreturning.Chemotherapymayalsoberecommendedasthemaintreatmentforpeoplewithmetastaticbreastcancer. Radiationtherapy.Inmostbreastcancercases,radiationtherapyisusedaftersurgerytokillanyremainingcancercells.Occasionally,itmaybeusedtoshrinkatumorbeforesurgery.Radiationtherapymayalsoberecommendedwhenatumorcan’tbesurgicallyremovedduetothesizeorlocation. Targetedtherapy.Thistreatmentusesdrugstotargetcertaincharacteristicsofcancercells.Forexample,ifthere’saproteininyourbodythatcausesabnormalcellstomultiply,yourprovidermightgiveyoudrugsthattargetthatspecificprotein. Anti-hormonetherapy.Sometimescalledendocrinetherapy,thistreatmentlowerstheamountofestrogeninyourbody.Thisblocksestrogenfromcausingbreastcancercellstogrow. Immunotherapy.Usedincombinationwithchemotherapy,thistreatmentusesthepowerofyourimmunesystemtofightcancercells. Aretheresideeffectsofinvasiveductalcarcinomatreatment? Yes.Aswithanycancertreatment,sideeffectsarepossible.Yourspecificexperiencedependsonhowadvancedyourtumoris,whereit’slocatedandwhattypeoftreatmentyouundergo. Peoplewhohavebreastcancersurgerymayexperienceinfection,bloodclotsorcomplicationsfromanesthesia.Thosewhoundergochemotherapy,radiationtherapy,targetedtherapyorimmunotherapymayhave: Fatigue. Fever. Diarrhea. Muscleaches. Hairloss. Moodchanges. Skinreactions. Mouthsores. Weightchanges. Fertilityproblems. Forpatientsreceivinganti-hormonetherapy,themostcommonsideeffectsarehotflashes,jointpain,weightchanges,moodchanges,vaginaldrynessordischargeanddecreaseofsexualdesire. Youmayexperienceothersymptoms,too.Yourhealthcareprovidercantellyouwhattoexpectduringinvasiveductalcarcinomatreatment. Howlongdoesittaketorecoverfrominvasiveductalcarcinomatreatment? Peoplewhoundergosurgeryforinvasiveductalcarcinomausuallyrecoverinabouttwotofourweeks.Healingmaytakelongeriflymphnodesareremovedorifyouchoosetoundergobreastreconstruction. Recoveryafterchemotherapy,radiationtherapy,targetedtherapyorimmunotherapymaytakeseveralweeksorseveralmonths,dependingonthelocationandstageofthetumor.Yourhealthcareprovidercantellyouabouthowlongyourtreatmentshouldtake. Prevention HowcanIreducemyriskforinvasiveductalcarcinoma? Likemostcancers,knowingyourfamilyhistorycanhelpyoutakepreventativesteps,suchasearlyscreeningsandmammograms.Eventhoughinvasiveductalcarcinomacan’tbepreventedaltogether,therearestepsyoucantaketoloweryourrisk: Maintainahealthybodyweight. Don’tsmoke. Limitalcoholintake. Exerciseregularly. Eatahealthy,well-balanceddiet. Undergogenetictestingforgenemutationsifrecommendedbasedonfamilyhistory. Outlook/Prognosis WhatcanIexpectifIhaveinvasiveductalcarcinoma? Ifyou’vebeendiagnosedwithinvasiveductalcarcinoma,yourhealthcareproviderwilldiscussyourtreatmentoptionswithyouindetail.Forbestresults,you’llwanttobegintreatmentassoonaspossible. Howcurableisinvasiveductalcarcinoma? Invasiveductalcarcinomaisquitecurable,especiallywhendetectedandtreatedearly. Whatisthesurvivalrateforinvasiveductalcarcinoma? Thefive-yearsurvivalrateforlocalizedinvasiveductalcarcinomaishigh—nearly100%whentreatedearlyon.Ifthecancerhasspreadtoothertissuesintheregion,thefive-yearsurvivalrateis86%.Ifthecancerhasmetastasizedtodistantareasofyourbody,thefive-yearsurvivalrateis28%. Keepinmindthatsurvivalratescannottellyouhowlongyouwilllive.Thesenumbersarebasedonpeoplewhohaveundergonebreastcancertreatmentinthepast.Formoreinformationaboutyourspecificcase,talktoyourhealthcareprovider. LivingWith WhenshouldIseemyhealthcareproviderregardinginvasiveductalcarcinoma? Ifyounoticeanyunusualchangesinyourbreasttissue,scheduleanappointmentwithyourhealthcareprovider.Ifyou’recurrentlyundergoingtreatmentforinvasiveductalcarcinoma,callyourhealthcareproviderifyoudevelopanyconcerningsymptoms,suchashighfever,chills,confusion,chestpain,shortnessofbreath(dyspnea),bonepainorabdominalpain. WhatquestionsshouldIaskmyhealthcareprovideraboutinvasiveductalcarcinoma? Fullyunderstandingyoursituationcanempoweryouandhelpyoutakecontrolofyourhealth.Herearesomequestionsyoumightwanttoaskyourhealthcareprovider: WhatstageofinvasiveductalcarcinomadoIhave? Howfarhasmycancerspread? Whataremytreatmentoptions? Howlongwillmytreatmenttake? WillIbeabletoworkduringmytreatment? Whataremychancesofsurvival? FrequentlyAskedQuestions Whatisthemostaggressiveformofbreastcancer? Themostaggressiveformofbreastcancerismetastaticbreastcancer.Thismeansthatthecancerhasspreadfromyourbreasttissuetodistantareasofyourbody. Whatistriple-negativeinvasiveductalcarcinoma? Triple-negativebreastcancermakesupabout15%ofallbreastcancers.Inthesecases,thecancercellsdon’thaveestrogenorprogesteronereceptors.Theyalsodon’tmakemuchoftheHER2protein.Triple-negativeinvasiveductalcarcinomasgrowandspreadfasterthanothertypesofbreastcancer.Themaintreatmentforthistypeofbreastcancerischemotherapy.Immunotherapyisaddedtochemotherapyforcertainpatientswiththistypeofbreastcancer. AnotefromClevelandClinic Hearingthatyou’vebeendiagnosedwithbreastcancercanbeshocking,saddeningandfrustrating.Youmaywanttoconsiderjoiningasupportgroupforpeoplewithbreastcancer.Spendingtimewithotherswhoaregoingthroughthesamethingcanbebeneficialforyourmental,emotionalandspiritualhealth.Invasiveductalcarcinomacanbesuccessfullytreated,especiallywhendetectedearly.So,callyourhealthcareproviderrightawayifyounoticeanyworrisomesymptoms.Prompttreatmentcanhelpyouimproveyouroverallqualityoflife. Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Print Getuseful,helpfulandrelevanthealth+wellnessinformation enews ClevelandClinicisanon-profitacademicmedicalcenter.Advertisingonoursitehelpssupportourmission.Wedonotendorsenon-ClevelandClinicproductsorservices. Policy RelatedInstitutes&Services ClevelandClinicCancerCenter ClevelandClinicCancerCenterprovidesworld-classcaretopatientswithcancerandisattheforefrontofnewandemergingclinical,translationalandbasiccancerresearch. ClevelandClinicisanon-profitacademicmedicalcenter.Advertisingonoursitehelpssupportourmission.Wedonotendorsenon-ClevelandClinicproductsorservices. Policy Morehealthnews+info ShowMore CancerAnswerLine866.223.8100 Appointments&Locations DownloadaTreatmentGuide SearchClinicalTrials Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram LinkedIn Pinterest Snapchat