What does Lobular carcinoma mean on a pathology report?
Lobular carcinoma is a type of breast cancer that starts in the milk-producing lobules. It can grow in a spread-out pattern that is harder to feel or see. Your team explains how the type affects testing and treatment.
Also written as
- invasive lobular
- lobular
Please read: This page explains general report language and cannot interpret your personal report, diagnose a condition, judge how serious a result is, or recommend treatment. Only your care team can do that.
How to read biopsy & pathology results
A pathology report describes what a specialist saw when they looked at your tissue under a microscope. Each phrase — the cell type, how abnormal the cells look, the margins, and features like invasion — is one piece of a larger picture, and pathologists often add comments or order extra stains before reaching a conclusion. A single word rarely decides anything on its own; it is read together with your imaging, your other results, and how you are doing. The team who requested the biopsy is who can tell you what a finding means for your care.
Questions to ask your care team
- What type of cells were found, and what does that mean for me?
- Are the margins clear — and if not, what happens next?
- Do any of these findings change my treatment options?
- Is any further testing, or a second look at the slides, worth doing?
Related biopsy & pathology terms
- BiopsyA biopsy is when a small piece of tissue is removed so a pathologist can look at it under a microscope.
- Pathology reportA pathology report is the document a pathologist writes after examining tissue from a biopsy or surgery.
- SpecimenA specimen is the piece of tissue, fluid, or cells that was removed and sent to the lab.
- Gross descriptionThe gross description is what the specimen looks like to the naked eye — its size, color, and shape — before it is looked at under a microscope.
- BenignBenign means not cancer.
- MalignantMalignant means cancer — cells that can grow into nearby tissue and may spread.
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