Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Case Study

Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) is a type of cancer of the breast. IDC starts in the milk ducts of the breast, breaks through the walls of the duct, and begins to invade and grow into the fatty tissue of the breast. Since this is an invasive cancer, it is then able to spread to other organs in the body, such as the lymphatic system. IDC is the most common form of breast cancer, accounting for 70-80% of all breast cancer diagnoses. A key component in diagnosing IDC is yearly screening mammograms starting at the age of 40, since this is around the peak age, which for breast cancer is between 50-60 years old. The use of ultrasound is then used to get a closer look so the doctor will be able to better diagnose if the mass is IDC with metastases …show more content…
It is common to find axillary lymph nodes with the diagnosis of breast cancer, which is why it is important to also examine this area. Axillary lymph nodes well-being is one of the most important factors in a prognoses for these patients and help determine a proper treatment plan 1 . This is where ultrasound plays a large and important role to help get a more accurate and closer looks at these areas. Mammogram is also the modality that helps identify the mass or tumor, then ultrasound can be used to get a closer look at what exactly it looks like and the approximate size of the area. By using ultrasound, the sonographer or radiologist can look under the axillary region to look for and identify any axillary lymph nodes. Ultrasound is used to help guide the doctors to take samples from these lymph nodes to determine whether it is cancerous or benign. In this study, ultrasound-guided axially sampling of the patient’s lymph nodes improved the starting of the axillary lymph nodes 1. These biopsy results help to determine the method of treatment a doctor will take with these patients depending on whether it has spread to the lymphatic system or