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There are many types of breast cancer. Knowing your type is important in planning the right treatment. At Fred Hutch Cancer Center, we do an exam, imaging and testing to confirm your diagnosis, identify your specific cancer type and tell the stage of your disease so we can recommend the most effective therapies.
Breast Cancer Care Tailored to You
You and your family are our top priority. At Fred Hutch Cancer Center, we offer comprehensive and compassionate care — personalized to you. You'll have access to the latest treatment options, clinical trials and supportive care services.
Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (Stage 0 Breast Cancer)
Ductal carcinoma in situ is also called DCIS. In this noninvasive type of breast cancer, cancer cells are confined to the milk ducts. Surgery to remove the cancer is recommended to rule out co-existing invasive breast cancer in the vicinity as well as to prevent DCIS from turning into invasive cancer. Radiation therapy and hormone therapy are also common parts of treatment.
Invasive Breast Cancer
This type of breast cancer can start in the milk ducts or the lobules (glands that make milk), and it can grow into surrounding breast tissue. The most common types of invasive breast cancer are:
- Invasive ductal carcinoma, also called IDC
- Invasive lobular carcinoma, also called ILC
Invasive breast cancer can spread beyond your breast. Breast cancer typically spreads to lymph nodes under the arm and to other nodes in the same region before it spreads to other parts of the body. Breast cancer that spreads to other organs, such as the lung, liver or bones, is called metastatic or stage IV (4) disease.
Fred Hutch researchers are working to better understand different types of breast cancer and how to treat each type most effectively. Nancy Davidson, MD, the former executive vice president and chief academic officer at Fred Hutch and a world-renowned breast cancer expert, co-chaired the first International Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer Symposium, which brought attention to the need for more research on this less-studied type.
Along with the types listed above, there are other types of breast cancer. They include rare types like inflammatory breast cancer, metaplastic breast cancer, angiosarcoma and Paget disease of the nipple. Fred Hutch cares for patients with all types of breast cancer.
Metastatic Breast Cancer
When breast cancer spreads outside the breast and nearby tissues to more distant parts of the body, it is called metastatic breast cancer. You might also hear it called stage IV breast cancer or advanced breast cancer.
People living with metastatic breast cancer have more treatment options today than ever before. At Fred Hutch, we provide the latest in evidence-based care, including a wide range of supportive care services, to help you thrive while living with this form of breast cancer.
Hormone Receptor Status
To select the right treatments for you, your care team needs to know if your cancer cells have hormone receptors. These are points where estrogen, progesterone or both can attach and make the cells grow. If your cancer cells have these, your cancer is hormone receptor-positive (HR+). It may respond to hormone therapies (also called endocrine or anti-estrogen therapies).
HER2 Status
Another key feature is if the cancer cells have more HER2 receptors than normal. HER2 stands for human epidermal growth factor type 2. If your cancer cells have more of these receptors than normal, the cancer is HER2-positive (HER2+). It may respond to certain targeted immunotherapies, such as trastuzumab.
Other Features of Your Cancer
Based on the type and stage of your breast cancer, your Fred Hutch care team may run more tests on your cancer cells. For example, we may do genetic testing to see how likely early-stage breast cancer is to spread or come back. If tests show that the risk is high, you may benefit from having chemotherapy along with hormone therapy, rather than hormone therapy alone.
There are many more examples. If tests show that you have genetic changes in the genes BRCA1 or BRCA2, you might benefit from a group of medicines called PARP inhibitors. At Fred Hutch, we do any testing that can help us choose the treatments that are right for you.