Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Jessica's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Subtype
- Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- surgery and chemotherapy
- Outcome
- Care Ongoing
Treatment course, step by step
- Double skin-sparing mastectomy without reconstruction in August 2023
- axillary lymph-node dissection and lymphovenous bypass
- dose-dense AC chemotherapy started in October 2023. Radiation was planned for 2024, followed by Tamoxifen for 10 years.
What happened, in summary
Jessica had a clear baseline mammogram in 2019, although it showed dense breast tissue. In June 2023, a routine mammogram found a swollen lymph node in her armpit. Additional imaging also showed an area of distortion in the breast, beginning a series of ultrasounds, biopsies, CT and bone scans, and MRI.
The tests confirmed invasive lobular carcinoma that had spread to an axillary sentinel lymph node. Jessica had not felt a breast lump and did not feel ill. Apart from mild sensitivity around the lymph node, she remained active, riding horses, doing CrossFit and exercising regularly.
In August 2023, she underwent a double skin-sparing mastectomy without reconstruction. She also had an axillary lymph-node dissection and a lymphovenous bypass, which was intended to help lymphatic fluid drain away from the arm. In October, she began dose-dense AC chemotherapy. Her plan was to follow chemotherapy with radiation in 2024 and then take Tamoxifen for 10 years.
Jessica relied on her husband, family, friends, healthcare team and the wider cancer community for support. Finding lobular-specific information helped her understand why this cancer can be difficult to detect and gave her practical questions to bring into treatment discussions.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer