Stage I Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Jen's Survivor Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage I
- Subtype
- Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- surgery and radiation
- Outcome
- Treatment Completed / Survivorship
Treatment course, step by step
- Initial lumpectomy performed when the biopsy was thought to show ductal carcinoma in situ → second operation for a sentinel lymph-node biopsy and wider margins after final pathology identified invasive lobular carcinoma → radiation therapy.
What happened, in summary
Jen was 55 when an annual mammogram found calcifications in her right breast. Because she had dense breasts, follow-up included a contrast mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. The first diagnosis was ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS. Based on that result, Jen chose a lumpectomy without a sentinel lymph-node biopsy.
The final surgical pathology changed the picture. The cancer was not DCIS but a 3.5 mm stage 1 invasive lobular carcinoma. Jen returned for a second operation so the surgeon could take wider margins and perform the sentinel lymph-node biopsy. She then completed radiation therapy.
The rapid shift from a noninvasive diagnosis to invasive lobular cancer was difficult. Jen felt she had made her first surgical choice without understanding how lobular breast cancer differs from more common ductal disease. Most of her learning happened only after surgery and radiation, when she reread the pathology report and began researching for herself.
In survivorship, Jen remained grateful that the cancer had been caught at stage 1, but she was concerned that it had not been clearly identified on imaging before surgery. She became an advocate for giving every person diagnosed with lobular breast cancer clear, subtype-specific information early enough to guide treatment decisions.
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