ABSTRACT
The majority of patients with symptomatic invasive NST breast cancer arrive at the breast clinic with a well-defined lump. With ILC, lumps may often be much more vague or ill-defined, and there is a much higher proportion of cases only with skin thickening or dimpling. Clues to a diagnosis of ILC may relate to its close association with hormonal events. Mammography can be problematic in ILC, as the infiltrative growth pattern is not destructive and may not incite a stromal reaction. Magnetic Resonance Imaging has a high sensitivity of 93% in detecting ILC. Fine needle aspiration cytology and core histology are the standard tools for breast diagnostic biopsy. The distinctive growth pattern of ILC is of dis-cohesive tumour cells infiltrating as single file strands in a concentric manner around normal breast ducts. As most ILCs are strongly hormone receptor positive, it is again of no surprise that endocrine blockade is the treatment of choice in the adjuvant setting.
