Causes
It is not clear what causes invasive lobular carcinoma.
Doctors know that invasive lobular carcinoma begins when cells in one or more milk-producing glands of the breast develop mutations in their DNA. The mutations lead to the inability to control cell growth, which results in the cells dividing and growing rapidly. Depending on the aggressiveness of the cancer type, the cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body.
Lobular carcinoma cells tend to invade breast tissue by spreading out distinctly rather than forming a firm nodule. The affected area may have a different feel from the surrounding breast tissue, more like thickening and fullness, but it is unlikely to feel like a lump.
Risk factors.
Factors that may increase your risk of invasive lobular carcinoma include:
Being female. Women are more likely to develop breast cancer, but men also can develop breast cancer.
Older age. Your risk of breast cancer increases as you age. Women with invasive lobular carcinoma tend to be a few years older than women diagnosed with other types of breast cancer.
Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). If you have been diagnosed with LCIS — abnormal cells confined within breast lobules — your risk of developing invasive cancer in either breast is increased. LCIS is not cancer but is an indication of increased risk of breast cancer of any type.
Postmenopausal hormone use. Use of the female hormone estrogen and progesterone during and after menopause has been shown to increase the risk of invasive lobular carcinoma.
Inherited genetic cancer syndromes. Women with a rare inherited condition called hereditary diffuse gastric cancer syndrome have an increased risk of both stomach (gastric) cancer and invasive lobular carcinoma.
Women with certain inherited genes may have an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers.
Prevention
To reduce your risk of breast cancer, consider trying to:
Discuss the benefits and risks of menopausal hormone therapy with your doctor. Combination hormone therapy may increase the risk of breast cancer.
Some women experience bothersome signs and symptoms during menopause, and, for these women, the increased risk of breast cancer may be acceptable to relieve menopause signs and symptoms.
To reduce the risk of breast cancer, use the lowest dose of hormone therapy possible for the shortest amount of time.
Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For healthy adults, this means up to one drink a day for women of all ages and men older than age 65, and up to two drinks a day for men aged sixty-five and younger.
If you have a family history of breast cancer or feel you may have an increased risk of breast cancer, discuss it with your healthcare provider. Preventive medications, surgery, and more-frequent screening may be options for women with an elevated risk of breast cancer.
Comments