What is invasive ductal carcinoma? The Home Edit’s Joanna Teplin addresses co-star Clea Shearer’s breast cancer battle

Professional organizer and co-host of Get Organized with the Home Edit Clea Shearer has been diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, an aggressive form of breast cancer.

Clea Shearer had a double mastectomy on Friday after being diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Her business partner and best friend, Joanna Teplin, has been on her side throughout her battle.

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What is invasive ductal carcinoma? Causes and symptoms explained

Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) is the most common form of breast cancer. It starts in the milk ducts and spreads to the surrounding breast tissues. It can even spread to the lymph nodes and other areas of the patient’s body, but if detected and treated early, there is a high chance of survival. It is sometimes called ductal carcinoma, infiltrating ductal carcinoma, or IDC breast cancer.

The most common type of cancer makes up about 80% of all breast cancer cases. Breast cancer is more common in people over 55. However, it can occur at any age.

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Stages of invasive ductal carcinoma

There are five stages of breast cancer, each indicating the location, size, and places where it has spread. The stages are:

• Stage 0 - Also known as non-invasive ductal carcinoma in situ, the cancer is located in the milk ducts.
• Stage 1: The cancer has spread outside of milk ducts to the breast tissue but has not reached to lymph nodes. However, in some cases, the cancer can be located in lymph nodes and not in the surrounding breast tissue.
• Stage 2: The small tumor has spread to one to three lymph nodes. Some cases can also see large tumors that have not spread to lymph nodes yet.
• Stage 3: The cancer has spread to more than three lymph nodes or is causing inflammation on breast skin but hasn’t spread to other areas of the body.
• Stage 4: The cancer has spread to all the organs including bones, chest wall, distant lymph nodes, liver, lungs, and brain.

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Common signs and symptoms

Some common signs and symptoms include:

1. Dimpling
2. Skin irritation
3. Redness or scaliness
4. A lump near the armpit
5. Inverted nipple
6. A new lump in the breast
7. Swelling of the breast
8. Breast pain (mastalgia)
9. Nipple pain
10. Thickening of the breast skin or nipple
11. Discharge from the nipple that isn’t breast milk

Smoking, alcohol consumption, being overweight, chest radiation, the early start of menstrual periods, and late menopause are certain risk factors that can lead to invasive ductal carcinoma.

The breast cancer has also been linked to hereditary factors in approximately 5% to 10% of such cases. These include mutations in breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1), breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2), and other genes such as PALB2, CHEK2, and ATM.

Such cancers can be diagnosed through physical examination, mammograms, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and biopsy.

Patients diagnosed with IDC will undergo a few treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, anti-hormone therapy, and immunotherapy.

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Joanna Teplin on co-star Clea Shearer’s breast cancer battle

After being diagnosed with stage 2 cancer, expanding to one of her lymph nodes, 40-year-old Shearer underwent a nine-hour double mastectomy on Friday. Sharing the update, her best friend told Today's Savannah Guthrie:

“She's doing well. She is just so strong and such a pillar of strength that I can't imagine anyone tackling cancer the way that she has. She's just so incredible.”

The mom-of-two shares kids Stella and Sutton with her photographer husband, John Shearer.

After an exciting first season, Netflix premiered the second season of Get Organized with The Home Edit on April 1, 2022, with the two experts showcasing some miraculous transformations.