BREAST CANCER

Breast cancer arises when the cells of the breast begin to grow uncontrollably. These cells usually form a tumor that can often be seen on an x-ray or may feel like a lump (mass or mass). The tumor is malignant (cancer) if the cells can grow by penetrating (invading) the surrounding tissues or spreading (metastasizing) to distant areas of the body. Breast cancer occurs almost exclusively in women, but men can also suffer from it.
Almost any cell in the body can become cancer and spread to other areas. To learn more about cancer and how all cancers originate and spread.

Breast cancers can originate in different parts of the breast. Most breast cancers begin in the milk ducts leading to the nipple (ductal cancers). Some cancers originate in the glands that produce milk (lobular cancers). There are also other less common types of breast cancer. A small number of cancers start in other breast tissues. These cancers are called sarcomas and lymphomas, and they are not really considered breast cancers. Although many types of breast cancer can cause a lump (lump or mass) in the breast, not everyone does. Many breast cancers are found on screening mammograms that can show cancers at an earlier stage, often before they can be palpated, and before symptoms develop. You should be aware of other breast cancer symptoms and report them to your doctor.

It is also important to know that most of the breast lumps are benign and not cancerous (malignant). Non-cancerous (benign) breast tumors are abnormal growths, but they do not spread outside the breasts and do not put life in danger. However, some benign breast lumps may increase the risk of breast cancer. Any mass or change in the breast should be examined by a health care professional to know if it is benign or malignant (cancer), and if it could affect your future risk of cancer.

HOW IS BREAST CANCER SPREAD?

Breast cancer can spread when cancer cells reach the blood or lymph system and reach other parts of the body.

The lymphatic system is a network of lymphatic vessels (or lymphatics) found throughout the body that connects the lymph nodes (small clusters in the form of a bean of cells of the immune system). The clear fluid inside the lymphatic vessels, called lymph, contains products derived from tissues and waste matter, as well as cells of the immune system. The lymphatic vessels carry lymphatic fluid out of the sinuses. In the case of breast cancer, cancer cells can enter the lymphatic vessels and begin to grow in the lymph nodes. Most lymph vessels of the breast drain to:

• The lymph nodes located under the arm (axillary lymph nodes)
• The lymph nodes that surround the clavicle (supraclavicular lymph nodes [above the clavicle] and infraclavicular lymph nodes [below the clavicle])
• The lymph nodes found inside the chest and near the sternum (internal mammary lymph nodes)

LYMPHATIC GANGLIES IN RELATION TO THE BREAST

If the cancer cells have spread to your lymph nodes, there is a greater chance that the cells have moved through the lymphatic system and spread (metastasize) to other parts of your body. The more lymph nodes there are with breast cancer cells, the greater the chance of finding cancer in other organs. Because of this, finding cancer in one or more lymph nodes often affects your treatment plan. Generally, surgery is needed to remove one or more lymph nodes to see if the cancer has spread.
However, not all women with cancer cells in their lymph nodes have metastases, and it is possible that some women without cancer cells in their lymph nodes develop metastases later.

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