What is lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)?
Lobular carcinoma in situ, also known as lobular neoplasia, is not technically a cancer or a carcinoma. The alternate name for this condition—lobular neoplasia—is more technically accurate, since LCIS is only a “marker” of cancer in most women. In women who develop invasive lobular carcinoma, LCIS is a direct precursor. An LCIS diagnosis means there is abnormal cell growth that increases your chances for developing breast cancer later in life. According to the National Cancer Institute, about 25 percent of women with LCIS develop invasive breast cancer within 25 years of the initial diagnosis. While having LCIS increases the chances of someday having breast cancer, most women with LCIS do not develop breast cancer. Due to improvements in breast cancer screening, the diagnosis of LCIS is increasing. Who is most likely to have LCIS? LCIS is more common in pre-menopausal women; however, LCIS can be found at any age. About 20 percent of women with breast cancer have a family history of the
