Invasive lobular carcinoma accounts for 5-10% of invasive breast cancer.
The histologic patterns include:
| Type | Prevalence | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Classical | 40% | round or ovoid cells with little cytoplasm in a single-file infiltrating pattern, sometimes concentrically giving a targetoid pattern |
| Alveolar | 5% | Aggregates of classical-appearing cells |
| Solid | 10% | Sheets of classical-appearing cells with little intervening stroma |
| Tubulolobular | 5% | Cells form microtubules in >90% of tumor (smaller than in tubular carcinoma) |
| Pleomorphic | Classical-appearing but with pleomorphic cells | |
| Mixed | 40% | No dominant pattern |
Overall, the five-year survival rate of invasive lobular carcinoma was approximately 85% in 2003.
Loss of E-cadherin is common in lobular carcinoma but is also seen in other breast cancers.
Treatment includes surgery and adjuvant therapy.
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