LCIS - lobular carcinoma in situ
This page tells you about lobular carcinoma in situ. There is information about
LCIS – lobular carcinoma in situ
Lobular cancer in situ (LCIS) means that there are cell changes inside the breast lobes. This is not cancer. But having LCIS means that you have an increased risk of getting breast cancer in the future. Even so, most women with LCIS will not get breast cancer.
Please note: there is a type of breast cancer called invasive lobular breast cancer, and this is different to LCIS.
Treatment
Doctors used to treat LCIS with surgery to remove the whole breast (mastectomy). But now we know that most women with LCIS will not get breast cancer. So your doctor is more likely to suggest keeping a close eye on you with
- Breast examination every 6 to12 months
- A mammogram every 1 to 2 years
If a cancer does start to develop, the monitoring should pick it up at a very early stage so that you can have the breast cancer treatment you need as early as possible.
Your doctor may suggest you take a type of hormone therapy to lower the chance of breast cancer if you have LCIS.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the About breast cancer section.
If you have lobular cancer in situ (LCIS), it means that cells inside some of your breast lobes have started to become abnormal. It is not a cancer. The cells are all contained within the inner lining of the lobes. Having LCIS means that you have an increased risk of getting invasive breast cancer in the future. Even so, most women with LCIS will not get invasive cancer.
LCIS does not show up on mammograms and is often diagnosed by chance when you have a breast biopsy for something else. Or it may be found when you have a breast lump removed and the cells are examined in the laboratory. LCIS is more common in women who have not had their menopause.
Please note: there is a type of breast cancer called invasive lobular breast cancer, and this is different to LCIS.
Doctors used to treat LCIS with surgery to remove the whole breast (mastectomy). But now we know that most women with LCIS will not get breast cancer. So your doctor is more likely to suggest keeping a close eye on you with
- Breast examination every 6 to 12 months
- A mammogram every 1 to 2 years
If a cancer does start to develop, the monitoring should pick it up at a very early stage so that you can have the breast cancer treatment you need as early as possible.
Your doctor may suggest that you take a type of hormone therapy to lower the chance of breast cancer if you have LCIS. A trial is looking into using a hormone therapy called anastrozole to try to stop breast cancer developing in women at higher than average risk, which includes women with LCIS. The trial is called IBIS 2. The GLACIER study is also collecting blood samples, to try to find out which genes increase the risk of LCIS, and which women with LCIS are more likely to develop breast cancer. While these trials are open and recruiting women, we will list them on our clinical trials database. Choose 'breast' from the drop down menu of cancer types. Or use the 'advanced clinical trials search page' and search for 'prevention' under 'types of trial'.
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