Breast cancer. Coloured sagittal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of a breast of a 39- year-old woman with breast cancer. The cancer (orange) has been highlighted by the injection of a gadolinium contrast medium, a contrast medium suitable for use in MRI scans. The front of the breast is at left in each scan, in these views from the side. The cancer is a ductal carcinoma, a carcinoma of the ducts that channel milk to the nipple. Ductal carcinoma is a common form of breast cancer. Breast cancer, the most common cancer in women, can be treated by surgical removal of the affected breast, often combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.