Under a microscope, papillary carcinoma looks similar to fingerlike projections called papules.
Many papillary tumors are not cancerous; these are called papillomas.
Types of Papillary Breast Cancer
There are several variations of papillary breast cancer.
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Anyone can develop papillary carcinoma of the breast; researchers do not really know what causes it to develop.
Misdiagnosis
Papillary carcinoma is sometimes misdiagnosed as intraductal papilloma or papillomatosis.
Intraductal papillomais a noncancerous condition in which a tiny, wartlike growth in breast tissue punctures a duct.
Intraductal papillomas grow inside thebreast’s milk ductsand may causebenign nipple discharge.
Having one or more intraductal papillomas, or papillomatosis, slightly increases your risk of developing breast cancer.
Treatment
Most cases of papillary carcinoma are low-grade, slow-growing cancers.
Many do not spread very far beyond their original site.
That said, treatment is important.
Hormone therapy drugs, on the other hand, can block the effect of estrogen on cancer cells.
Papillary breast cancer cells will be tested to determine if estrogen binds to them.
If it does, hormone therapy can be helpful.
Targeted therapiesalso block the growth and spread of cancer cells.
The most widely used target therapy isHerceptin(trastuzumab).
It mostly affects women who have already gone through menopause.
There may be no symptoms and you may not find a lump during a self-examination.
This cancer is slow-growing and is not likely to spread to the lymph nodes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Family history does play a role and knowing your family history is important.
If you have a first-degree relative who has this cancer throw in, you may be at higher risk.
This pop in of cancer is typically slow-growing and does not grow far from its original spot.
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