Search Results (5)

Background: Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), the most common special type of breast cancer (BC), has unique clinical behaviour and is different from invasive ductal carcinoma of no special type (IDC-NST). However, ILC further comprises a diverse group of tumours with distinct features. This study aims to examine the clinicopathological and prognostic features of different variants of ILC, with a particular focus on characterising aggressive subtypes. Methods: A large (n = 7140) well-characterised and histologically reviewed BC cohort with treatment and long-term follow-up data was investigated. The cohort was classified based on the WHO classification of tumours into main histological subtypes, including ILC and IDC-NST. ILCs were further classified into variants. Clinicopathological parameters and patient outcomes in terms of BC-specific survival (BCSS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were evaluated. Results: ILC constituted 11% of the cohort. The most common non-classic ILC variants were pleomorphic (pILC) and solid (sILC), constituting 19% of ILC. Compared to classic and related variants (alveolar, trabecular, papillary, and tubulolobular; cILC), pILC and sILC variants were associated with aggressive tumour characteristics. The histologic grade of ILC was an important prognostic variable. The survival patterns identified an aggressive ILC subtype encompassing pILC and high-grade sILC. These tumours, which comprised 14% of the cases, were associated with clinicopathological characteristics of poor prognosis and had high BC-specific death and recurrence rates compared not only to cILC (p < 0.001) but also to IDC-NST (p = 0.02) patients. Contrasting this, cILC patients had significantly longer BCSS and DFS than IDC-NST patients in the first 10 to 15 years of follow-up. Adjuvant chemotherapy did not improve the outcome of patients with aggressive ILC subtypes. Conclusions: pILC and high-grade sILC variants comprise an aggressive ILC subtype associated with poor prognostic characteristics and a poor response to chemotherapy. These results warrant confirmation in randomised clinical trials. Full article

The technical complexity of gene expression profiling in routine practice has necessitated the use of surrogate molecular classification of breast cancer, based on immunohistochemical analyses. Background and objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the differences between histological and molecular subtypes of invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) of the breast, in order to be able to predict the behavior and prognosis of the disease, as well as to effectively determine therapy. Material and Methods: This study included 263 cases of breast ILC diagnosed over a seven-year period. The diagnosis of invasive lobular carcinoma is based on the characteristic growth pattern and phenotype of cancer cells with the respective subtypes: classic, alveolar, solid, tubulolobular, pleomorphic and mixed lobular type. The examined cases were divided into five groups according to molecular classification based on the expression of ER, PR, HER2 and Ki67 immunohistochemical markers. Results: It was found that the pleomorphic subtype occurred statistically significantly less often as the luminal A subtype compared to others (p = 0.00027), and the HER2-enriched subtype occurred statistically significantly more often in the pT4 stage (p = 0.024). Conclusions: The results of this study significantly singled out the luminal A subtype, and among them classic ILC, as the subtype with the most favorable expression ratio of the investigated predictive/prognostic immunohistochemical markers. Full article

Invasive lobular carcinoma is the most common special breast carcinoma subtype, with unique morphological (discohesive cells, single-cell files, targetoid pattern) and immunohistochemical (loss of E-cadherin and β-catenin staining) features. Moreover, ILC displays a poor response to neoadjuvant therapy, a different metastatic pattern compared to invasive breast carcinoma of no special type, as well as unique molecular characteristics. In addition to the classic variant of invasive lobular carcinoma, several other well-recognized variants exist, including classic, alveolar, tubulolobular, solid, pleomorphic, signet-ring, and mixed. Furthermore, three novel variants of invasive lobular carcinoma, i.e., with extracellular mucin production, papillary features, and tubular elements, have been described during the last decade. We herewith focus on the unique morphological and immunohistochemical characteristics of these novel varieties of invasive lobular carcinoma, as well as differential diagnostic considerations and potential diagnostic pitfalls, especially when dealing with biopsy specimens. Full article

Invasive lobular breast cancer (ILC) is the most common special histological type of breast cancer (BC). This review recapitulates developments in the histomorphologic assessment of ILC from its beginnings with the seminal work of Foote and Stewart, which was published in 1941, until today. We discuss different concepts of ILC and their implications. These concepts include (i) BC arising from mammary lobules, (ii) BC growing in dissociated cells and single files, and (iii) BC defined as a morpho-molecular spectrum of tumors with distinct histological and molecular characteristics related to impaired cell adhesion. This review also provides a comprehensive overview of ILC variants, their histomorphology, and differential diagnosis. Furthermore, this review highlights recent advances which have contributed to a better understanding of the histomorphology of ILC, such as the role of the basal lamina component laminin, the molecular specificities of triple-negative ILC, and E-cadherin to P-cadherin expression switching as the molecular determinant of tubular elements in CDH1-deficient ILC. Last but not least, we provide a detailed account of the tumor microenvironment in ILC, including tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) levels, which are comparatively low in ILC compared to other BCs, but correlate with clinical outcome. The distinct histomorphology of ILC clearly reflects a special tumor biology. In the clinic, special treatment strategies have been established for triple-negative, HER2-positive, and ER-positive BC. Treatment specialization for patients diagnosed with ILC is just in its beginnings. Accordingly, ILC deserves greater attention as a special tumor entity in BC diagnostics, patient care, and cancer research. Full article

The orbit represents an unusual metastases site for patients diagnosed with cancer, however, breast cancer is the main cause of metastases at this level. These orbital metastases were discovered in patients with a history of breast cancer as unique or synchronous lesions. We present a rare case of a unique retroocular metastasis as the first initial symptom of a tubulo-lobular mammary carcinoma in a postmenopausal woman. A 57-year-old patient complains of diplopia, diminishing visual acuity, orbital tenderness, slight exophthalmia and ptosis of the left eyelid, with insidious onset. Clinical examination and subsequent investigations revealed a left breast cancer cT2 cN1 pM1 stage IV. Breast conserving surgery was performed on the left breast. Pathological examination with immunohistochemistry staining established the complete diagnostic: pT2pN3aM1 Stage IV breast cancer, luminal B subtype. After two years from the initial breast cancer diagnosis, the patient was diagnosed by the psychiatrist with a depressive disorder and was treated accordingly. Orbital metastases are usually discovered in known breast cancer patients and they are found in the context of a multi-system end-stage disease. Most reports cite that up to 25% of the total orbital metastases cases are discovered before the diagnosis of the primary tumor, as our case did. MRI is the gold standard for evaluating orbital tumors. The ILC histological subtype metastasizes in the orbitals more frequently than invasive ductal carcinoma. The prognosis of patients with orbital metastases is poor. The median survival after diagnosis of orbital metastases from a breast cancer primary is ranging from 22 to 31 months. Overall survival of our patient was 56 months, longer than the median survival reported in literature. Orbital metastases must be taken into account when patients accuse ophthalmologic symptoms even in the absence of a personal history of cancer. Objective examination of every patient that incriminates these types of symptoms is essential, and breast palpation must be made in every clinical setting. Orbital biopsy is necessary for the confirmation of the diagnosis and for an adequate treatment. Although recommendations for management of orbital metastases are controversial, it appears that multidisciplinary treatment of both metastases and primary cancer improves overall survival. Full article