How fast does breast cancer grow?
There are different types of breast cancer and they all behave differently. It is difficult to say exactly how fast breast cancer grows. Doctors say that some breast cancers are more aggressive than others. Breast cancers vary based on personal factors and subtypes.
The rate at which breast cancer grows can be influenced by the following factors:
Breast cancer subtype
Normally, triple-negative and HER2-positive tumors grow faster and the hormone receptor-positive breast cancers tend to grow or spread slower. Inflammatory breast cancer generally grows faster than other kinds.
Age at diagnosis
Breast cancer in younger women is more aggressive and grows faster than in older women. Older women are more susceptible to hormone-driven forms of breast cancer [3], which grows slower but not every time. Breast cancers in young women grow faster and have a higher tumor grade.
The grade
Doctors grade breast cancer when a patient is diagnosed with one. The grades are from 1 to 3, it depends on how much the cancer cells look like normal cells. When the grade is higher, it means the tumor is more aggressive and there is a higher chance that it will grow faster and move to other regions of the body.
Genetic mutations
The chance of having breast cancer increases when it is genetic (a family member once had it). Women with these genetic mutations can develop breast cancer at a younger age which leads to a more aggressive form of cancer.