[ PRINT ] [ Printing FAQ ] About OncoLink Editorial Board Sponsors Help See Today's OncoTip Usage Statistics Virtual Classroom Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute "Confronting Cancer Through Art" is an exhibition by people whose lives have been touched by cancer. This week we are featuring artwork by: Jacqueline Kniewasser Pontypool, Ontario Visit the Children's Art Gallery This week's artwork was donated by a pediatric cancer patient who received treatment for cancer at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

FAQ: Lobular Carcinoma in situ of the Breast Authors: Kenneth Blank, MD and John Han-Chih Chang, MD Affiliations: University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center Posting Date - November 24, 1997 Last Revision Date: Sunday, 14-Feb-1999 13:54:28 EST Copyright © 1994-1999, The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania An OncoLink reader asks about lobular carcinoma in situ of the breast. Question: I have been diagnosed with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). I can find no information on this and I am very confused. Can you give me any information? Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. TS Kenneth Blank, MD and John Han-Chih Chang, MD OncoLink Editorial Assistants, respond: Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) of the breast is not an actual "cancer" but rather a marker for the possibility of developing a cancerous condition. The finding of LCIS on a breast biopsy puts the patient at a risk of 1% per year of developing cancer in either breast. If a cancer develops from the LCIS it is more commonly ductal carcinoma as opposed to lobular carcinoma. Patients who have a diagnosis of LCIS may not need to have the lesion removed. They will however need careful follow-up with yearly physical exams, yearly mammograms and monthly self breast exams. In contrast, the finding of ductal carcinoma in situ on a breast biopsy signifies an early form of cancer and requires treatment. The recommended treatment for this diagnosis may be excision alone, excision followed by radiation therapy, or a mastectomy.

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