What is invasive ductal carcinoma?

Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), sometimes called infiltrating ductal carcinoma, is the most common type of breast cancer. About 80% of all breast cancers are invasive ductal carcinomas. “Invasive” means that the cancer has “invaded” or spread to the surrounding breast tissues. “Ductal” means that the cancer began in the milk ducts, which are the “pipes” that carry milk from the milk-producing lobules to the nipple. “Carcinoma” refers to any cancer that begins in the skin or other tissues that cover internal organs — such as breast tissue. All together, “invasive ductal carcinoma” refers to cancer that has broken through the wall of the milk duct and begun to invade the tissues of the breast. Over time, invasive ductal carcinoma can spread to the lymph nodes and possibly to other areas of the body.

Treatment for invasive ductal carcinoma

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy also called cryosurgery, Ar-he knife, is done by releasing Argon gas to lower the temperature and freeze the tumor and the surrounding tissue; then the He gas is released to thaw the frozen tumor thus destroying it in the process.

Interventional therapy

Interventional therapy is done under the guidance of medical imaging equipment wherein the anti-cancer drugs are injected directly to the blood supplying artery of the tumor which effectively shrinks the tumor. Compared with the traditional chemotherapy, interventional therapy targets the tumor precisely and brings lesser side effects to the body; the drug concentration of anti-cancer drug inside the tumor is much higher than the conventional chemotherapy because it is directly infused into the tumor and so it brings better efficacy.

Green chemotherapy

Green chemotherapy is a new type of chemotherapy which is different from the intravenous chemotherapy. Intravenous chemotherapy can cause many side effects. In accordance with human biological clock, anti-cancer drugs will be given when tumor cells are active and are believed to be most susceptible and while normal cells are inactive. In this way, minimal dose of medicine can achieve best effects with lowest side effects to the body.

Hormone therapy

Hormone therapy is to stop estrogen from affecting breast cancer cells. Some types of breast cancer are affected by hormones in the blood so the hormone therapy is suitable to some breast cancer patients. You need to know the type of breast cancer in order for the doctor to know if hormone therapy works for you.

Targeted therapy

Targeted therapy is to use drugs or other substances to precisely identify and attack cancer cells, which brings little damage to normal cells. At Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, we provide gene targeted therapy, which targets the root of disease by correcting the abnormal gene. Targeted therapy brings no trauma to the body and lesser side effect to the patients.

Chinese medicine therapy

At Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, doctor combines the Chinese medicine therapy with other treatments. Chinese medicine therapy effectively helps you prevent or alleviate the side effects, which may be caused by other treatments. Moreover, Chinese medicine therapy also helps you boost the immune system to prevent cancer recurrence.

Microwave ablation (MWA)

In microwave ablation, a probe will be inserted into tumors, and micro electromagnetic waves will be released to destroy and ablate the cancerous tissues directly. Targeting clearly and affecting intensely the tumor, MWA won’t produce obvious side effects to normal tissues.

Photodynamic therapy

The drug called photosensitizer or photosensitizing agent will be infused to the body and the drug will be absorbed mostly by cancer cells after 24 hours to 72 hours. The photosensitizer in the tumor absorbs the light and produces an active form of oxygen that can destroy nearby cancer cells. It well suits patients with advanced cancer or elderly patients and those with poor physical status.

Photon knife

Photon Knife is a technique where the beams of radiation used in treatment are shaped to match the tumor. This uses the targeting information to focus precisely on the tumor, while avoiding the healthy surrounding tissue. This exact targeting makes it possible to use higher levels of radiation in treatment, which are more effective in shrinking and killing tumors in breast.

Nano-knife

Nano-knife breaks the membrane of tumor cells with high voltage pulses so that the tumor is destroyed. It is not an open surgery but brings the same effect as surgery does with the advantages of smaller trauma, lesser side effects and quicker recovery.

Comprehensive treatment will bring better efficacy than single treatment thus doctors at Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou will make a personalized treatment plan based on your size of tumor, stage, type, and other factors.

If you want to know what treatment options are suitable for you, you are welcome to consult with us via online consultation or call at 02-8-8221222/63-922-8083333/63-915-4642818. We are here 24/7 to answer your questions.

*Surgery, in addition to the appropriate chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are effective in treating early cancer, but certain patients in late stage of cancer may not be tolerate surgery well as they can be relatively weak. A combination of carefully planned minimally invasive therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy can effectively reduce the side effects and discomfort of treatment and may help patient get better efficacy.