Invasive Ductal Carcinoma

What is Invasive Ductal Carcinoma?

Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) is a very common type of breast cancer. It starts developing in the milk ducts of your breast, but breaks out of the duct tubes, and invades, or infiltrates, surrounding tissues. Unlike ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which is a non-invasive cancer, IDC is not a well-contained cancer. IDC has the potential to invade your lymph and blood systems, spreading cancer cells to other parts of your body. If IDC spreads beyond its original site, we say it has metastasized.

Invasive Ductal Carcinoma is a Common Breast Cancer Diagnosis:

IDC is the most commonly diagnosed breast cancer. Invasive ductal carcinoma accounts for about 8 out of 10 of all invasive breast cancers.

Also Known As:

Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma, Infiltrating Carcinoma

Signs and Symptoms:

Invasive ductal carcinoma may feel like a hard, bumpy, irregularly-shaped lump beneath your areola or around the central area of your breast. An IDC lump will feel like it is attached to the breast tissue around it, so it may appear to be moveable. But it will be moving with the tissue that it has infiltrated. IDC can cause nipple retraction (nipple or areola pulling in). When doing your regular breast self-exam, if your nipple won't remain standing out from your areola, it's a good idea to go see your doctor for a clinical breast exam. On a mammogram, micro calcifications can appear near an IDC mass.

Tests Used to Diagnose IDC:

If you find a breast lump during your breast self-exam or a clinical exam, it's best to have it properly checked out. Remember that 80% of all breast lumps are not cancer. But if breast cancer is caught early, your chances of survival are very good. Some tests that are used to get a clear diagnosis for invasive ductal carcinoma are:

• Mammogram
• High-resolution ultrasound
• Open surgical breast biopsy
• Stereotactic core needle biopsy

Stages of IDC:

Invasive ductal carcinoma can be diagnosed from stages 1 through 4. Treatment of IDC will be tailored to the stage and other important characteristics of your tumor.

Your Prognosis For Invasive Ductal Carcinoma:

Doctors use the term prognosis to talk about your future outlook for survival. Your prognosis will depend on many details about your tumor, and those details will help decide which treatments will be most effective for you. Details on your pathology report will include:

• tumor size and stage
• surgical margins
• tumor grade
• hormone receptor status
• HER2 levels
• lymph node status

Treatments for IDC:

The goal of treating invasive ductal carcinoma is get rid of the cancer cells, and to prevent recurrence. Treatments may include:

• Lumpectomy (surgery to remove the tumor and some of the surrounding tissue)
• Mastectomy (surgery to remove all of the breast tissue)
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation
• Hormone Therapy
• Targeted Biological Therapy (medications that help to boost your immune system response and usually target a specific gene)

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