Lobular Breast Cancer in a Male Patient with a Previous History of Irradiation Due to Hodgkin's Disease

Lobular Breast Cancer: Histomorphology and Different Concepts of a Special Spectrum of Tumors

Simple Summary

Invasive lobular breast cancer (ILC) is a special type of breast cancer (BC) that was first described in 1941. The diagnosis of ILC is made by microscopy of tumor specimens, which reveals a distinct morphology. This review recapitulates the developments in the microscopic assessment of ILC from 1941 until today. We discuss different concepts of ILC, provide an overview on ILC variants, and highlight advances which have contributed to a better understanding of ILC as a special histologic spectrum of tumors.

Abstract

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.

Rare case of male breast intraductal papilloma progressing to invasive ductal carcinoma: A radiologic-pathologic correlation

Although male breast cancer represents only 0.5%-1% of all breast cancer cases in the United States, the incidence of this disease is slowly rising [1]. Because of its extremely low prevalence, screening and treatment guidelines are not well established. Thus, analyzing cases of male breast cancer can accelerate this process. We present a case of a 52-year-old man, initially diagnosed with biopsy-confirmed intraductal papilloma without atypia, who presented 3 years later with progression of this benign lesion to ductal carcinoma in situ and development of de novo invasive ductal carcinoma. This report stresses the importance of symptom detection and risk factor modification with the goal of decreasing the incidence of this disease.

Invasive lobular carcinoma of the male breast - a systematic review with an illustrative case study

Male breast cancer is rare, comprising only 1% of all mammary cancers; invasive ductal carcinoma is by far the commonest subtype in both men and women. Though lobular breast cancer is the second most common subtype seen in women, such cancers are extremely uncommon in men, and this is likely related to the lack of lobular development in the male breast. Thus, due to the rarity of this subtype among breast cancers, compounded by the overall rarity of breast cancer in men, current understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease and its management is largely derived from case series and extrapolation of information from the larger cohort of female patients. This paper provides a systematic review on invasive lobular carcinoma of the male breast in the context of an illustrative case study. A comprehensive analysis of the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Data 1973-2013 leading to an exploration of the pathogenesis, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, tumor characteristics, and management of lobular breast carcinoma in men is also discussed. Lobular subtype of breast cancer remains an enigmatic elusive disease that needs additional research to unravel its overall pathogenesis and molecular profile to provide insight for improved therapeutic management options.