Incidence rates for invasive lobular carcinoma have increased more drastically than all other breast cancers combined between 2012 and 2021, according to findings from the American Cancer Society’s Lobular Breast Cancer Statistics 2025 report, published in Cancer.
“Although lobular breast cancer accounts for a little over 10% of all breast cancers, the sheer number of new diagnoses each year makes this disease important to understand,” said lead author Angela Giaquinto, MSPH, Associate Scientist, Cancer Surveillance Research at the American Cancer Society. “Also, survival rates beyond 7 years are significantly lower for invasive lobular carcinoma than the most common type of breast cancer, highlighting the pressing need for prevention and early detection strategies targeting this subtype to be brought to the forefront.”
Rationale and Study Methods
Researchers from the American Cancer Society used cancer registry data from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to report on statistics for lobular breast cancer among women in the United States.
The report largely focused on the distinctive characteristics of invasive lobular carcinoma, the second most common subtype of lobular breast cancer, and incidence rates and outcomes by age, race, and ethnicity. Invasive lobular carcinoma is typically found later than other cancer types because of its unique growth pattern, and it is resistant to many therapies. However, research often lumps this cancer type in with other breast cancers, limiting a greater understanding of the disease and possible treatments.
Key Study Findings
In 2021, the incidence of invasive lobular carcinoma was 14 per 100,000 women, translating to 10.6% of all breast cancer diagnoses.
Rates of invasive lobular carcinoma have increased by 2.8% per year from 2012 to 2021, compared with 0.8% per year for all other breast cancers combined. In that time, rates increased by 2.5% per year among American Indian/Alaska Native women to 4.4% per year for Asian American/Pacific Islander women.
Incidence rates were highest among White women at 14.7 per 100,000 women across all age groups, followed by Black women at 11 per 100,000. For women younger than age 50, American Indian/Alaska Native women have the second-highest incidence rates.
Survival is slightly higher for women with invasive lobular carcinoma in the first 7 years than for those with ductal carcinoma, and outcomes are similar at 10 years overall. For women with regional- and distant-stage invasive lobular carcinoma, survival is lower than for women with ductal carcinoma. The authors of the report believe this was because of the unique metastatic pattern of the disease.
“Invasive lobular breast cancer is very understudied, probably because of a very good short-term prognosis. But at 10 years, these women with metastatic disease are half as likely to be alive as their counterparts with ductal cancer, probably because of the unique spread and resistance to therapy,” said senior study author Rebecca Siegel, MPH, Senior Scientific Director, Cancer Surveillance Research at the American Cancer Society. “Our study underscores the need for much more information on lobular cancers across the board, from genetic studies to clinical trial data, so we can improve outcomes for the increasing number of women affected with this cancer.”
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com.
