Library · Neoplasm
Invasive lobular carcinoma
Make it clearer
Invasive lobular carcinoma is the second most common type of invasive breast cancer: 10% to 15% of cases. It starts in the lobules, the grape-like clusters where milk is made.
The defining change happens in a gene called CDH1, which is mutated in more than 90% of cases. That gene makes E-cadherin, the protein breast cells use to stick to one another. When it is missing, the cells stop sticking together.
And that is what makes this type distinctive. Without adhesion, the cells do not pile up into a mass: they scatter through the fibrous stroma .. the connective tissue that holds everything up .. or advance in single-file cords. Not a compact knot, but a line of cells slipping between the tissue.
And there is one number worth knowing: the sensitivity of mammography for this type runs from 57% to 81%.
In brief
Invasive lobular carcinoma is the second most common invasive breast cancer, 10% to 15% of cases.
It starts in the lobules, and more than 90% have CDH1 mutated, losing E-cadherin, the protein that holds cells together.
Without that adhesion the cells do not clump: they scatter through the stroma or advance in single-file cords.
Not a compact knot, but a line of cells slipping between the tissue.
For this type, mammography has a sensitivity of 57% to 81%.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingInvasive Lobular Carcinoma, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated