I have received quite a lot of questions about lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) and I am glad that patients are finally drawing more attention to this disease.  Since I started my career in breast pathology this has been one of the most interesting areas of breast cancer research for me.  Finally, more attention is now being paid to LCIS and what it means for women with this diagnosis.

LCIS, sometimes called lobular neoplasia which includes atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH), used to be thought of as an incidental finding on breast biopsies or in breast surgeries but with the help of a prior colleague of mine, we showed that LCIS can actually be the reason for a breast biopsy. What we proved was that LCIS can “calcify” and can explain the findings on a mammogram that prompted a biopsy (click here to see that article). This more often occurs in so-called pleomorphic LCIS but can occur in the usual type as well.

There is emerging research about LCIS and whether it could possibly be a “precursor” lesion to invasive carcinoma like DCIS. This would change our current thinking and therapy for LCIS and I hope this research continues to be funded so we can solve this important issue. Also, the importance of pleomorphic LCIS, while much less common than typical LCIS, needs to be better delineated.

If you are interested in the pathology of LCIS, I have posted new pictures in the image gallery of LCIS and pleomorphic LCIS as well as how e-cadherin can help in making that diagnosis.

As always, feel free to comment, either in a public response or privately to my email.

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