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1. Science One World Essay
Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Breast Cancer
Alzira Fernandes
One in eight out of all women will get breast cancer in her lifetime. With about 1.3
million diagnosed and 465,000 dying per year, it is the second most common cancer
amongst women, next to lung cancer. This has a huge economical impact on the world
according to healthcare- as women rely more on coverage and hospitalization. While
many people don’t really think about how many types of breast cancer there are, the
severity of the disease varies with the type. Most types of breast cancer are caused by
lifestyle choices such as smoking, a high fat diet and exposure to the sun. However
there are also genetic and bodily factors of getting breast cancer. If your closest female
relative (mother, sister, daughter) has had breast cancer, if you started menstruating
before age 12 (or had late menopause after age 55), or if you have never had children
or have had your first child after 30 your risk of getting breast cancer increases. These
are social issues that affect women everyday who have the cancer, needing to
constantly think about their family getting it. Ironically, the women who are at the highest
risk are ones who have already had breast cancer.

2. The most common type of breast cancer is Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) breast
cancer. If your breast cancer is “Invasive” that means it has grown beyond the layer of
cells in the breast from where it started. Carcinoma is a word used to describe a cancer
that begins in the epithelial cells (lining layers) of organs, such as the breast. Nearly all
breast cancers are either ductal carcinomas, or lobular carcinomas with 8 out of 10
invasive breast cancers being Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC). The basics of how IDC
occurs is that it starts in the duct of the breast (see Figure 1), breaks through the wall of
the duct, and stays put in the fatty tissue of the breast. The cancer may then be able to
metastasize (spread) to other parts of the body through the bloodstream and lymphatic
system. Sometimes the cancer may spread to you lymph nodes. If lymph nodes are
involved with your cancer, a special type of treatment will be required.
Figure 1- Basic Breast Structure
To see if you in fact have IDC, the way to know is if a lump in your breast is found
surrounded by scar tissue that contains cancer cells. While there are some long-term
treatments to this cancer such as lifestyle change or dieting (which are normally done

3. during rehabilitation; a high fat diet can result in tumors or lumps in the breast), more
immediate surgical treatments are usually performed.
One surgical procedure is having a lumpectomy. This involves removing the
lump in the breast and any surrounding tissue (see Figure 2), followed by radiation to kill
remaining cancerous cells. Lymph nodes may also be taken to perform a biopsy- if the
lymph nodes are positive that means cancer is involved. If they are negative, there are
no cancer cells. Another more drastic surgical procedure is having a mastectomy. A
mastectomy is getting rid of all the breast tissue in the breast where the cancer was
found, and the breast is removed. Mastectomies used to be the standard surgical
procedure for treating breast cancer a few decades ago before lumpectomies were
introduced.
Figure 2- Parts of a Lumpectomy
A- dark circle where tumor is
B- surrounding tissue being removed

4. The most obvious advantage lumpectomies have are cosmetic appearance. The
amount of breast that needs to be removed in a lumpectomy all differs on the size and
location of the lump in the breast. Women can also discuss how much of the breast will
be removed with her doctor before undergoing surgery, so that she will know what to
expect. Mastectomies are a very drastic yet freeing procedure for women. After
undergoing a mastectomy, they feel more relieved as all the tissue has been removed
from their breast and are therefore free of lingering cancerous cells. While there may be
loss, physically, from removing the breast, there is gain mentally from being freed of
cancer.
There are quite a few disadvantages to these treatments, just as there were
advantages. Lumpectomies should not typically be performed if the woman has
extensive cancer, which has spread to various areas of the breast or with problematic
tumors that have attached to the chest wall or skin. With these problems, the patient
would need extensive surgery which requires removing the tumors, or a mastectomy
removing the whole breast. While in mastectomies the woman will recover from breast
cancer with no compilations, the lymph nodes under the arm could have been
damaged. If the arm where lymph nodes have been removed starts to swell, it could be
a sign of injury to the nerves in that area. This could very well results in damaging the
nervous system or surrounding lymph nodes.
Breast cancer delivers a big strain on economically struggling families. It is the
most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer in the US, and therefore requires a lot of
care (see Figure 3). Costs need to be covered for treatment, hospitalization, expenses
for transportation or foods with higher nutritional value during recovery. The Canadian

5. Breast Cancer Network performed a study that found that 80% of breast cancer patients
experienced financial repercussions, with about a 10% drop in yearly household
income. Many people have also been losing jobs due to the bad economy, which means
that less people will be getting healthcare. When the economy suffers, breast cancer
suffers.
Figure 3- Expenditures for Cancer
Care in the United States (2006)

6. The impact that breast cancer has on the social lives of many women is quite drastic.
After a women has undergone surgery such as a lumpectomy or mastectomy, it not only
affects them physically but mentally. Seeing everyday that half (or all) of their breast is
gone is very degrading to most women, as they have felt like they’ve lost part of their
womanhood. The emotional impact is much larger than the cosmetics of surgeries,
because of the loss of confidence. If a part of the body has just been removed, a sense
of weakness takes over. This makes for a very unhappy woman.
Breast cancer can be described in many ways. For some women (usually the
ones who do have it), it is a struggle and a disease that they just can’t wait to get out of
their body. For other women (usually the ones who do not have it), it is an opportunity to
fight and stand up for a good cause. So many organizations around the world, such as
the National Breast Cancer Foundation®, are helping women battle breast cancer by
raising money to help women receive mammograms, which are x-rays to determine if
you have breast cancer. Although breast cancer is a greatly feared disease for a lot of
women, it gives people a chance to go forward and
help others by coming together.

7. Works Cited
"Economic Impact ‘huge’ for Breast Cancer Patients, Report Says - The Globe and Mail." Home
- The Globe and Mail. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/
economic-impact-huge-for-breast-cancer-patients-report-says/article1582728/>.
"Breast Cancer: Statistics on Incidence, Survival, and Screening | Breast Health Resource
Center." Imaginis The Women's Health Resource. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. <http://
www.imaginis.com/breast-health/breast-cancer-statistics-on-incidence-survival-and-
screening-2>.
"Economic Impact ‘huge’ for Breast Cancer Patients, Report Says - The Globe and Mail." Home
- The Globe and Mail. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/
economic-impact-huge-for-breast-cancer-patients-report-says/article1582728/>.
"Lymph Node Involvement." BreastCancer.org - Breast Cancer Treatment Information and
Pictures. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. <http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/diagnosis/
lymph_nodes.jsp>.

8. "Lumpectomy Procedure Information by EMedicineHealth.com." Web. 08 Dec. 2010. <http://
www.emedicinehealth.com/lumpectomy/article_em.htm>.
Stephan, Pam. "Invasive Ductal Carcinoma - IDC - Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Breast Cancer."
Breast Cancer - Breast Cancer Prevention, Treatment, and Breast Cancer Survival. Web. 08 Dec.
2010. <http://breastcancer.about.com/od/types/p/idc.htm>.
"Breast Cancer Types: What Your Type Means - MayoClinic.com." Mayo Clinic Medical
Information and Tools for Healthy Living - MayoClinic.com. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. <http://
www.mayoclinic.com/health/breast-cancer/HQ00348>.