South Florida doctors see rise in a hard-to-detect form of breast cancer

"Invasive lobular carcinoma, a subtype of breast cancer, concerns oncologists for several reasons: It doesn't present as a lump the way the more common ductal carcinoma often is found, it is hard to spot on a mammogram, and it doesn't respond well to chemotherapy. It also tends to spread to the lining of the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts, as well as the ovaries (ductal carcinoma tends to spread to the lymph nodes)."

"And at 10 years, women with invasive lobular carcinoma that spreads to a secondary site are half as likely to be alive as their counterparts with ductal breast cancer. Rather than a lump, this form of breast cancer grows in a linear or dispersed pattern. It looks more like skin thickening or dimpling. Dr. Alia Abdulla, a breast surgical oncologist at Broward Health, said the increase in this subtype of breast cancer illustrates why mammograms are essential."

""In general, you can still see changes on the mammogram. It may not be a lump. It might be more minimal or subtle at times, but you can see changes." If invasive lobular carcinoma is caught on a mammogram, the tumor usually is at an early stage, she said. "If you wait until you feel or see something, it's likely at a later stage.""

Invasive lobular carcinoma is rising rapidly, increasing more than three times faster than other breast cancers in South Florida. It often lacks a distinct lump, growing in linear or dispersed patterns that resemble skin thickening or dimpling, and is difficult to detect on mammograms. It tends to spread to the gastrointestinal and urinary tract linings and ovaries, and shows poorer long-term survival when metastatic compared with ductal carcinoma. The subtype responds poorly to chemotherapy. Mammography can still reveal subtle changes, and clinicians recommend a low threshold for further testing and advanced imaging when distortion, asymmetry, or skin changes appear.

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