Invasive lobular carcinoma
DEFINITION
Invasive lobular carcinoma is a type of breast cancer that begins in the milk-producing glands (lobules) of the breast.
Invasive cancer means the cancer cells have broken out of the lobule where they began and have the potential to spread to the lymph nodes and other areas of the body.
Invasive lobular carcinoma makes up a small portion of all breast cancers. The most common type of breast cancer begins in the breast ducts (invasive ductal carcinoma).
Invasive lobular carcinoma typically doesn’t form a lump, which is common in breast cancer. Instead, there is a change in the breast that feels like a thickening or fullness in one part of the breast and is different from the surrounding breast tissue.
CAUSES
It’s not clear what causes invasive lobular carcinoma.
How invasive lobular carcinoma forms
Doctors know that invasive lobular carcinoma begins when cells in one or more milk-producing glands of the breast develop mutations in their DNA. The mutations lead to the inability to control cell growth, which results in the cells dividing and growing rapidly. Depending on the aggressiveness of the cancer type, the cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body.
Lobular carcinoma cells tend to invade surrounding breast tissue in a starlike manner. The affected area may have a different feel from the surrounding breast tissue, more like a thickening and fullness, but it’s unlikely to feel like a lump.
SYMPTOMS
At its earliest stages, invasive lobular carcinoma may cause no signs and symptoms. As it grows larger, invasive lobular carcinoma may cause:
- An area of thickening in part of the breast
- A new area of fullness or swelling in the breast
- A change in the texture or appearance of the skin over the breast, such as dimpling or thickening
- A newly inverted nipple
Invasive lobular carcinoma is less likely than other forms of breast cancer to cause a firm or distinct breast lump.
When to see a doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor if you have any signs or symptoms that worry you. Your doctor will perform an examination and determine whether you need a diagnostic mammogram or a breast ultrasound.
Ask your doctor when to begin screening tests for breast cancer to help detect cancer early and before you may have any signs or symptoms. Routine screening tests may include a physical exam and a breast X-ray (mammogram).
Various organizations differ on their screening recommendations, but many suggest women with an average risk of breast cancer consider beginning yearly mammograms in their 40s.
If you have a family history of breast cancer or other factors that increase your risk of breast cancer, your doctor may recommend beginning screening mammograms or other tests at an earlier age
