Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Kim's Survivor Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Subtype
- Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
- Biomarkers
- ER 99% positive; PR 85% positive; HER2-negative
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- hormone therapy and surgery
- Outcome
- Cancer-Free / NED
Treatment course, step by step
- Late 2022 mammogram in San Antonio led to additional imaging and biopsies
- January 4 pathology call confirmed invasive lobular carcinoma with tumor about 7 cm, close to nipple
- February monthly Zoladex injections plus daily Letrozole to suppress estrogen; tumor was 99% ER-positive, 85% PR-positive, and HER2-negative
- additional biopsies checked for other sites
- July 5 skin-sparing mastectomy with expander
- pathology showed tumor 90% dead, remaining 10% removed with clear margins, and no lymph node spread
- doctor confirmed cancer-free before return to San Antonio.
What happened, in summary
Kim moved back to San Antonio in 2022 and had her first mammogram in the new city that October. The previous year’s 3D mammogram had been unremarkable, but this time the radiologist wanted a biopsy for a concerning spot in the left breast. Kim had also felt something emerging, though she had blamed hormones and stress from a new job and city. After multiple imaging appointments and biopsies, she received the call on January 4 that pathology was positive for invasive lobular carcinoma. The tumor was about 7 cm and close to the nipple. Kim joined the LBCA Facebook group and began building a care team in San Antonio. In February, she started monthly Zoladex injections and daily Letrozole to suppress estrogen. Her tumor was 99% estrogen-positive, 85% progesterone-positive, and HER2-negative. She also had more biopsies to check whether cancer had spread elsewhere. On July 5, Kim had a skin-sparing mastectomy with an expander. Pathology showed the tumor was 90% dead by surgery, the remaining 10% was removed with clear margins, and the cancer had not spread to lymph nodes. As of May 2024, her doctor had confirmed she was cancer-free, and she described herself as a survivor. Her experience also highlights how endocrine treatment can be used before surgery in ER-positive ILC.
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