Rare breast cancers, also known as special types, are breast cancers that have cells with certain characteristics that can only be seen when a doctor examines them under a microscope.
Metaplastic breast cancer: This type of breast cancer mostly occurs among women who are between the ages of 47 to 61 and it is very rare. It tends not to spread to the lymph nodes but is likely to spread to other areas of the body.
Mucinous (mucoid) breast cancer: This occurs mostly in older women and it is less likely to spread to lymph nodes. It gets its name as a result of being made up of a large amount of mucin.
Tubular breast cancer: The cells associated with this type of cancer look like tubes when seen under a microscope. It is most common in older women. The tumor is typically very small when diagnosed.
Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast: Also known as cribriform, this type is often diagnosed in the salivary glands but manifests in breast tissue, and it is slow growing. This type rarely spreads to other parts of the body.
Lymphoma of the breast: Less than 1% of breast cancers are non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), which are extremely uncommon. B-cell lymphomas, such as diffuse large B-cell lymphomas, are the most prevalent types. Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a less type. Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma is a rare type of NHL, and occurs in a small number of women who have breast implants.
Basal type breast cancer: This is a type of breast cancer has particular genetic changes in the cells. Basal-type breast cancers are normally triple negative, which means they don’t have receptors for estrogen, progesterone, or HER2.
Phyllodes: Also known as osteosarcoma phyllodes, these cause a lump to appear in the breast as the first symptom. Phyllodes can either be benign or malignant. It usually affects women in their middle years or older. It could spread into the lymph nodes if it were malignant, but this is considered rare.
Papillary breast cancer: Older women are more likely to have papillary tumors. There are three types of papillary breast cancer:
Symptoms of rare invasive breast cancer include:
To have a definitive diagnosis of rare invasive breast cancer, several tests may be recommended. These include:
The treatment of rare invasive breast cancer is highly dependent on the type of the cancer. Over, treatment may include a single treatment like surgery, or a combination of different therapies. These include:
Rare invasive breast cancer refers to a group of less common types of invasive breast cancer, such as inflammatory breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, and HER2-positive breast cancer.
The symptoms of rare invasive breast cancer can vary depending on the type of cancer, but may include breast swelling, redness or warmth, skin changes, breast pain, nipple changes, and breast lumps.
Treatment for rare invasive breast cancer may involve surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or targeted therapy, depending on the type and stage of the cancer.
Surgery is often a key component of treatment for rare invasive breast cancer, and may involve a lumpectomy, mastectomy, or other surgical procedures depending on the type and stage of the cancer. Other treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted therapy may also be used in combination with surgery to achieve the best possible outcome.