How are breast cancers named?
The first determination for naming is whether the breast cancer is “in situ” or “invasive”. In situ cancers remain within the boundaries of the kind of cells that formed them. In situ means in place staying where it belongs and not spreading. For this reason in situ cancers are sometimes called precancerous, meaning they may develop into invasive cancers later. About 20-40% of in situ cancers will do this if not removed. Currently, about 12% of detected breast cancers are in situ. This percentage is increasing because breast cancers found on mammograms are often in situ. The other breast cancers are all invasive cancers. Invasive cancers have broken out of the boundaries of the group of cells they came from and are invading or growing into the nearby breast tissue. The second part of the name tells something about that particular kind of cancer. Some breast cancers get their names from the cells of the breast that turned into cancer. If the cancer arises from the cells of the tubes or
The first determination for naming is whether the breast cancer is “in situ” or “invasive”. In situ cancers remain within the boundaries of the kind of cells that formed them. In situ means “in place”, staying where it belongs and not spreading. For this reason in situ cancers are sometimes called precancerous, meaning they may develop into invasive cancers at some later time. About 20-40% of in situ cancers will do this if not removed. Currently, about 12% of detected breast cancers are in situ. This percentage is increasing because breast cancers found on mammograms are often in situ. The other breast cancers are all invasive cancers. Invasive cancers have broken out of the boundaries of the group of cells they came from and are invading or growing into the nearby breast tissue. The second part of the name tells something about that particular kind of cancer. Some breast cancers get their names from the cells of the breast that turned into cancer. If the cancer arises from the cells
