Breast cancer accounts for 1 in 3 new cancers impacting women each year.1 Though both men and women are at risk for breast cancer, in the United States, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. Let’s take a closer look at 6 of the most common types of breast cancer.
Reminder: Breast cancer screenings, including mammograms and breast exams, are critical to discovering breast cancer as early as possible. The sooner breast cancer is found, the more likely you are to survive the cancer. If you’ve noticed any changes in the look or feel of your breasts, you should make an appointment with your doctor to take a closer look at your breasts.
6 Most Common Breast Cancer Types
Here is a list of the 6 most common types of breast cancer and whether the breast cancer is invasive (has spread beyond its original location to surrounding tissue) or non-invasive (only found in its original location and has not spread).
| Invasive | |
| Invasive | |
| Invasive | |
| Invasive | |
| Invasive | |
| Non-invasive |
In situ breast cancer2,3
The type of breast cancer may also be an indication of where in the breast the cancer is located. In situ (in its original place) breast cancer is pre-cancer where abnormal cells have not progressed from their original location to invade surrounding breast tissue.
Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS)
Ductal carcinoma in situ is a type of breast cancer where abnormal precancerous cells are found in the milk ducts of the breasts. These cells have not spread to other parts of the breast. DCIS is highly treatable when it is discovered in an early stage, but if this cancer is not treated or not discovered until later, it may spread to the surrounding breast tissue.
Invasive breast cancers2,3
Invasive breast cancers are breast cancers that have spread from their original location into surrounding breast tissues. They makeup the most common types of breast cancers.
Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC)2-4
IDC is an invasive type of breast cancer that began in the milk ducts and spread into the breast tissue. IDC is the most common type of breast cancer. 70-80% of all breast cancer diagnoses are IDC breast cancer.
Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC)3-5
ILC is an invasive type of breast cancer that begins in the lobules (milk glands) and spreads into the breast tissue. ILC is the second most common type of breast cancer with 10% of invasive cancers being ILC. ILC is not seen as well on mammograms, but can be seen on an MRI. It is still important to continue to get mammograms as they are very effective at detecting other types of breast cancers.
Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)3,6-9
Breast cancer growth is typically driven by specific hormones or genes. The most common hormones that accelerate breast cancer growth are estrogen, and progesterone, whereas the gene named hormone epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) commonly causes breast cancer duplication. Triple negative breast cancer means that these breast cancer cells are negative for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and HER2 receptors.
The absence of these factors makes this type of breast cancer more difficult to treat. Medications that target hormone receptors or HER2 are not effective treatments in TNBC.6 This breast cancer makes up 10-15% of all breast cancers, and it tends to spread faster than other breast cancer types.
Because TNBC spreads rapidly, it is usually found after it has spread to other areas of the body. TNBC is also more likely to return after treatment than other types of cancer.
Triple negative breast cancer is more common amongst Black women, younger women and those with a BRCA1 gene mutation (BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations are the most common cause of hereditary breast cancer. Women with either of these gene mutations have up to a 70% chance of getting breast cancer by age 80)7.
Hear about Joanne’s experience with TNBC:
Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC)10-13
IBC is a rare type of breast cancer making up only 1 to 5% of breast cancers. This type of breast cancer impacts the lymph vessels in the breast. Since the lymph vessels in the breast are connected to the body’s entire lymphatic system, this type of cancer can spread very quickly. IBC can appear differently than other types of breast cancer. This causes the breast to look red and dimpled, like the skin of an orange.
Risk factors for this type of cancer include being younger than 40 years of age, race, and being overweight.
Metastatic Breast Cancer
Metastatic breast cancer is cancer that started in the breast tissue but spread beyond the breast to the lymph nodes or blood stream, to other parts of the body. You may also hear metastatic breast cancer called advanced breast cancer or distant breast cancer.12
What’s Next?
Interested in learning more about other types of cancers? Join our cancer circle to stay up to date on the latest health information!
References
- American Cancer Society. Key Statistics for Breast Cancer (2024) https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/about/how-common-is-breast-cancer.html
- National Breast Cancer Foundation (2024) Types of Breast Cancer https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/types-of-breast-cancer/
- American Cancer Society. Types of Breast Cancer (2024) https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/about/types-of-breast-cancer.html
- National Cancer Institute. (2024) Invasive Ductal Carcinoma https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/invasive-ductal-carcinoma
- National Breast Cancer Foundation (2024) Invasive Lobular Cancer https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/invasive-lobular-cancer/
- National Breast Cancer Foundation (2024) Triple Negative Breast Cancer https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/triple-negative-breast-cancer/
- Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (2024) Breast Cancer Screening and Early Protection https://www.komen.org/breast-cancer/screening/
- American Cancer Society (2024) Triple Negative Breast Cancer https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/about/types-of-breast-cancer/triple-negative.html
- Yin Li et al. (2020) Triple-negative breast cancer molecular subtyping and treatment progress https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32517735/
- National Breast Cancer Foundation (2024) Inflammatory Breast Cancer https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/inflammatory-breast-cancer/
- American Cancer Society (2024) Inflammatory Breast Cancer https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/about/types-of-breast-cancer/inflammatory-breast-cancer.html
- National Cancer Institute (2024) Inflammatory Breast Cancer https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/ibc-fact-sheet#:~:text=Compared%20with%20other%20types%20of%20breast%20cancer%2C,breast%20tumors%20are%20frequently%20hormone%20receptor%20negative
- Provincial Health Services Authority (2024) Inflammatory Breast Cancer http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/books/breast/management/phylloides#:~:text=Inflammatory%20breast%20cancer%20is%20a,Pathologic%20confirmation%20of%20invasive%20carcinoma
- National Breast Cancer Foundation (2024) Metastatic Breast Cancer https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/metastatic-breast-cancer/
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