ductal carcinoma
Meaning of ductal carcinoma: Ductal carcinoma is cancer arising from cells lining a duct, most familiar as the most common form of breast cancer.
Definition of ductal carcinoma
Ductal carcinoma is a general term for cancer that arises from the epithelial cells lining a duct, a narrow, tube like channel found in several organs of the body. The term is most familiar in the context of the breast, where invasive ductal carcinoma, beginning in the cells lining the milk ducts, is the most common type of breast cancer.
The same general pattern occurs elsewhere in the body wherever duct bearing tissue is present. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, for example, arises from cells lining the ducts of the pancreas and is the most common form of pancreatic cancer, though it behaves very differently from ductal carcinoma of the breast.
Because ductal carcinoma can describe cancers arising in different organs with different behavior and treatment approaches, the organ involved is always specified alongside the term to convey the intended meaning.
Used in a sentence
Pathology confirmed invasive ductal carcinoma following biopsy of the breast mass.
Good to know
Ductal carcinoma is not exclusive to the breast, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, arising from a different organ entirely, behaves quite differently from the breast cancer most commonly associated with the term.
Word origin
Where “ductal carcinoma” comes from
Ductal derives from Latin ductus, meaning a leading or channel; carcinoma derives from Greek karkinoma, from karkinos, meaning crab, combined with the suffix -oma, meaning tumor.