Invasive intraductal, or invasive ductal, carcinoma is a type of breast cancer that begins growing in the ducts within the breast and begins to invade the other tissues directly surrounding the ducts. Invasive intraductal carcinoma, or IDC, is the most common form of breast cancer comprising 80 percent of all breast cancer cases, reports CancerHelp UK. Treatment for this disease includes local treatments, systemic treatments or a combination of the two treatment modalities.
Lumpectomy
A lumpectomy is a surgical procedure that removes the tumor and the tissue surrounding it, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Patients with smaller tumors that have not yet spread to distant sites of the body and patients who have not had breast cancer before are prime candidates for a lumpectomy. The surgery spares much of the breast tissue, which typically is more aesthetically pleasing to the patient. Furthermore, the recovery time is only a couple of days.
Mastectomy
Mastectomies are surgical procedures that remove the tumor and a considerable percentage of the breast tissue. Mastectomies are characterized by the amount of breast tissue that is removed, notes BreastCancer.org. In partial mastectomies approximately 25 percent of the affected breast is removed. In total mastectomies, the surgeon removes all of the breast tissue without damaging the lymph nodes and muscle near the breast. Modified radical mastectomies are done to remove all of the breast tissue as well as some of the underlying muscle and lymph nodes. These procedures are used in patients with large or recurrent intraductal carcinomas that are high-risk for spreading to nearby tissues.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, is a form of treatment for invasive intraductal breast cancer, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Patients who undergo a lumpectomy almost always also receive radiation therapy. Radiotherapy is the use of high-energy beams to eradicate cancer cells within the ducts of the breast. The oncologist, a doctor who works with cancer patients, specifically targets the cells affected by the cancer and ensures that the radiation only affects those cells. Sometimes healthy cells around the cancer are also targeted in order to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a viable treatment option for invasive intraductal carcinoma, states CancerHelp UK. Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer medications to kill cancer cells wherever they may be in the body. This form of systemic treatment is very effective in killing cancer cells that have spread from one part of the body to another. Chemotherapy is given in cycles that last three to six months. During and in between cycles, patients are tested to make sure the therapy is working. Medicines used as chemotherapeutic agents include doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and paclitaxel, states BreastCancer.org.
Hormonal Therapy
Some types of intraductal carcinomas are responsive to hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, reports BreastCancer.org. In these cases, the cancer cells have hormone receptors that, when activated, stimulate the cancer to grow. Hormonal therapy uses certain drugs to prevent the activation of the hormone receptors by hormones such as estrogen. Hormone therapy also lowers the amount of hormones in the body. Only tumors which test positive for hormone receptors are affected by hormone therapy.
