Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Claudia's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Claudia had a routine mammogram at 40 that came back clear, even though she was told she had extremely dense breast tissue. One year later, during a regular OB-GYN visit, her provider felt 2 lumps. Follow-up imaging and biopsy confirmed multifocal invasive lobular carcinoma, grade 3. The diagnosis was especially unsettling because ILC behaves differently from more common breast cancer types and can be difficult to detect. After Claudia’s mastectomy, pathology found 3 cancerous lumps. One of them had not appeared on imaging and could not be felt by exam, which reinforced how elusive lobular breast cancer can be. Claudia used Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance resources to understand her diagnosis and prepare for care discussions. Reliable ILC-specific information helped her feel less alone and more able to advocate for herself. As of March 2025, Claudia described herself as a breast cancer survivor turned advocate, mother of 3, and creator of My Cancer Diaries, a platform supporting women navigating breast cancer while parenting young children. Her recovery focused not only on physical care, but also emotional and mental well-being. Mindfulness, clean living, self-care, community, and vulnerability became part of how she rebuilt life after cancer. She now encourages others to find clinicians who understand lobular disease and to care for the whole person, not only the tumor.