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What Are The Prognosis And Survival Rates For Lobular Breast Cancer?
Lobular breast cancer starts in the milk-producing lobules and can spread through metastasis. The prognosis depends on factors such as cancer grade and stage and long-term care plans.
Lobular breast cancer is also called invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC). It's the second most common type of breast cancer.
ILC affects about 10% of people with invasive breast cancer. Most people with breast cancer have invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), which is cancer of the ducts (the structures that carry milk).
Follow-up appointments and tests can help your doctor detect a recurrence of cancer or any other complications.
Your outlook with ILC depends on the grade and stage of your cancer, as well as your long-term care plans.
The stage of cancer identifies the size and spread of the tumor, while the grade describes its appearance and how likely it is to spread. Healthcare professionals determine these by examining cancer cells under a microscope after a biopsy.
The grades range from 1 (slow-growing, least likely to spread) to 3 (growing and spreading quickly). Identifying the grade of your cancer will help doctors determine treatment options and predict your outlook.
This type of cancer is often hormone receptor-positive, usually estrogen-positive. This means the cancer cells need the hormone in order to grow. A medication that blocks the effects of estrogen can help prevent a recurrence of cancer and improve your outlook.
Lobular vs. Ductal breast cancer prognosisILC tumors may spread aggressively and tend to be relatively large. In addition, people who receive an ILC diagnosis are an average of 3 years older than those who receive an IDC diagnosis. ILC is most often diagnosed at a more advanced stage.
Overall, long-term outcomes for people with ILC tend to be similar to the outcomes for people with other types of invasive breast cancer. However, some subgroups of people with ILC have worse outcomes than those with IDC, primarily related to the type of tumor they have and its treatment.
Survival rates for cancer are typically calculated in terms of how many people live at least 5 years after their diagnosis relative to people without cancer who are alive after the same time period. However, they can also be calculated for 10 years or longer.
Breast cancer survival ratesThe average 5-year relative survival rate for breast cancers of all stages and grades is 91%, and the 10-year relative survival rate is 85%.
The stage of the cancer is important when considering survival rates. For instance, if the cancer is only in the breast, the 5-year survival rate is 99%. If the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, the rate decreases to 85%.
ILC survival ratesAccording to a 2021 study, the survival rate for ILC tends to be higher in the first years after diagnosis and decreases within 10 to 15 years after diagnosis.
However, a 2024 study found that the overall 5-year survival rate for ILC was quite high, at 88.6%, and the 10-year survival rate was 73.6%.
Because there are many variables depending on the type and spread of your cancer, it's best to talk with your doctor about what to expect.
If you've been treated for ILC, it's especially important to schedule a physical exam and a mammogram every year after your treatment. The first one should take place 6 months after surgery or radiation therapy is complete.
You can learn more about breast cancer survival rates and find support from others who are living with breast cancer by downloading Healthline's free app.
What are invasive lobular carcinoma's symptoms?Lobular breast cancer symptoms may include a thickening or hardening of your breast (which can feel different from a lump), swelling, skin texture changes, dimpling, an inverted nipple, and breast or nipple pain.
Where does lobular breast cancer spread?Lobular carcinoma often spreads to lymph nodes, bones, and other organs such as the uterus, ovaries, stomach, brain, liver, and lungs.
What is the best treatment for lobular carcinoma?ILC can be hard to diagnose because it spreads in a unique pattern that may not show up on imaging tests. However, it's a slow-growing cancer, which gives doctors time to plan treatment.
Your options include lumpectomy or mastectomy, depending on the stage of cancer, as well as hormonal therapy and chemotherapy.
Radiation may be necessary after a lumpectomy. Your doctor will create a personalized care plan depending on your health and the latest technologies available.
What is the most aggressive form of breast cancer?Non-ILC triple-negative breast cancer tends to be more aggressive than other breast cancer types. It accounts for only 10% to 15% of all breast cancers but is more likely to spread and to come back after treatment.
ILC can also be triple-negative, which means the cancer cells don't have receptors for progesterone and estrogen.
Lobular breast cancer (ILC) is the second most common form of breast cancer. Most people with breast cancer have invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), which affects the milk ducts.
ILC affects the lobules, which are responsible for producing milk. Like IDC, it can spread to other parts of your body. Your outlook with this type of cancer depends on factors such as the cancer's grade and stage and your long-term treatment plans.
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What To Know About Multifocal Breast Cancer
Multifocal breast cancer is a form of breast cancer in which multiple tumors arise in the same area of the breast. Treatment may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of treatments.
There are many types of breast cancer. The type and characteristics, including the number of tumors and where they are, can affect treatment options and long-term outlook.
This article covers information about multifocal breast cancer, including how doctors diagnose and treat the condition, the outlook, and recurrence rates.
A person who has received a diagnosis of multifocal breast cancer has more than one invasive tumor, generally in the same area of their breast.
Experts classify breast cancers into different categories depending on their characteristics. A person can receive one of the following diagnoses:
Multifocal breast cancer is not necessarily more advanced or aggressive than single-tumor breast cancer. Staging multifocal breast cancer depends primarily upon the characteristics of the primary, or largest, tumor.
However, there is more risk of larger tumors or cancer spreading to the lymph nodes, so the outlook may be less favorable for some people with multifocal compared with unifocal breast cancer.
Learn more about breast cancer.
As a result of differences in definitions and diagnostic techniques, information from 2019 states that anywhere from 6% to 60% of breast tumors are multifocal or multicentric.
One study from 2015 involving 1,158 people with breast cancer of stages 1, 2, and 3 found multifocal breast cancer in 131 of the participants, or 11.3%. They found multicentric breast cancer in 60 cases, or 5.2% of participants.
Healthcare professionals classify different types of breast cancers based on the type of cells in which cancer develops. The majority of breast cancers are carcinomas, which means they grow in the cells that line the organs and body tissues.
The main types of breast cancer include the following:
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)DCIS initially develops in the milk ducts, and healthcare professionals consider it noninvasive. Having DCIS can increase a person's risk of developing cancer again compared with someone who has never had breast cancer.
Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)LCIS is not considered a type of cancer. However, these noncancerous changes can increase a person's risk of developing cancer. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), people with LCIS have a 7 to 12 times higher risk of developing invasive breast cancer in either breast.
LCIS does not usually show on mammograms. Doctors typically discover it during a biopsy for other issues.
Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC)IDC is a form of breast cancer that has spread beyond the ducts and into the surrounding breast tissue. IDCs are the most common type of breast cancer, accounting for 80% of all breast cancer diagnoses, according to the ACS.
Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC)ILC is a form of breast cancer that has spread beyond the lobules and into the surrounding breast tissue. ILCs make up a small percentage of all breast cancer diagnoses. The ACS notes that this percentage is around 10% of invasive breast cancers.
Read more about the types of breast cancer.
Staging for multifocal breast cancer varies, with healthcare professionals basing this on the characteristics of the primary tumor and whether or not cancer is present in other areas of the body. Treatment plans and long-term outlook depend on the cancer stage.
There are five stages of breast cancer that indicate whether and how far the cancer has spread.
Stages range from noninvasive cancer that has not spread to surrounding tissue (stage 0) to metastatic cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (stage 4).
A healthcare professional can work out the cancer stage by looking at the tumor, node, and metastasis (TNM) factors. These vary among individuals:
The TNM system does not include whether a tumor is multifocal or unifocal.
Read more about breast cancer stages.
Diagnosing multifocal breast cancer involves multiple examinations and, in some cases, minor procedures:
Recurrence is a concern for multifocal breast cancer treatment. Recurrence refers to cancers that come back after treatment. Recurrent cancers can develop in the same place as the original tumor, or they can develop in a new location in the body.
When healthcare professionals compare multifocal breast cancer with unifocal breast cancer, the former may carry a higher risk of recurrence. However, not all studies show that this is the case, so more research is needed.
A meta-analysis from 2019 included 17 comparative studies and 7 case series, totaling 3,537 people undergoing breast-conserving surgery. The analysis demonstrated a recurrence rate of 2% to 23% following breast-conserving surgery in multifocal multicentric breast cancer at an average follow-up of 59.5 months. These are equivalent rates to those of mastectomy.
The outlook for someone with breast cancer depends on the stage of the cancer, their overall health, and their response to treatment. Experts calculate a person's outlook by using 5-year relative survival rates.
The 5-year relative survival rates for individuals with breast cancer are as follows:
In one study from 2015, the researchers associated multifocal breast cancer with higher mortality rates and lower 5- and 10-year survival rates, but the only independent predictors of survival were tumor size and lymph node metastases.
Compared with single-tumor breast cancers, multifocal breast cancers have a higher risk of spreading to the lymph nodes.
There is a wide variation among individuals, and scientists need to complete more research before they know how multiple tumors affect a person's outlook.
Overall survival rates for multifocal breast cancer depend on various factors, such as
The appropriate treatment option can vary depending on many factors, such as the person's age, the stage of cancer, and whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or other areas of the body.
LumpectomyDuring a lumpectomy, a surgeon removes the cancerous cells while saving as much of the surrounding healthy breast tissue as possible. This procedure is especially promising if the cancer is only present in one quadrant of the breast.
MastectomyA mastectomy is a surgical procedure that involves removing the entire breast and the surrounding lymph nodes. Unless a tumor is larger than 5 centimeters (or 2 inches) in diameter, or large relative to the breast, doctors usually favor breast-conserving surgery, such as a lumpectomy.
Radiation therapyHealthcare professionals may recommend radiation therapy in combination with a lumpectomy. After removing as much of the cancer as possible, they may use radiation therapy to destroy any remaining cancer cells. Radiation therapy is an effective method of preventing later breast cancer recurrence.
ChemotherapyChemotherapy is a systemic, or body-wide, treatment that uses one or more cytotoxic medications that prevent cancer cells from multiplying. When treating multifocal breast cancer, chemotherapy may be used either before or after the primary treatment.
Learn more about breast cancer treatments.
Multifocal breast cancer occurs when at least two invasive tumors are present in the same quadrant of the breast. There are conflicting clinical definitions, so the exact number of people who have multifocal breast cancer and the risk of developing it remains unclear.
There are several treatment options available for multifocal breast cancer. These include lumpectomy, mastectomy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, and chemotherapy.
The appropriate treatment plan will vary from person to person, so it is important that people speak honestly and openly with their healthcare professionals about their treatment preferences and concerns.
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