Lobular Carcinoma in Situ

Definition of terms:

Benign - Not cancerous; no threat to the body
Carcinoma - Cancer cells that start in the surface layers or lining of ducts
Metastasis - Spread of cancer to other parts of the body
Malignant - Cancerous; a threat to the body
Mastectomy - Removal of a breast by surgery
In situ - In one contained area; has not invaded through the walls of ducts
Lymph nodes - Pea-like areas in the lymphatic system that act as filters for the body's cellular waste; lymph nodes located under the arm filter the waste from breast tissues

Lobular carcinoma in situ is defined by some experts as a pre-malignant disease which can continue to proliferate (keep growing) into an invasive cancer (one that grows through the cell wall into surrounding tissues). Found in the lobules, the milk-producing units of the breast, it is an excessive overgrowth and filling of the lobules with abnormal cells. Some authorities refer to this condition as "non-invasive cancer" and others as "pre-cancer."

Lobular carcinoma does not form a hard lump and does not show up on mammography. Occasionally, an area will have a feeling of thickening or increased density. The diagnosis is usually made while looking for another abnormality within the breast. Typically lobular carcinoma is a slow-growing disease and rarely has lymph node metastasis. However, this disease does have a high chance of occurring in the other breast.

Treatment for lobular carcinoma in situ may range from "watchful waiting" to mastectomy, (occasionally both breasts). If careful observation of the breasts is chosen, your physician will schedule biannual (twice a year) clinical exams and order regularly scheduled mammograms to detect any changes.

For more information, please call The Connie Dwyer Breast Center at (973) 877-5189.

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