Overview

• Published Oct. 7 in Cancer, the report estimates about 33,600 U.S. diagnoses of invasive lobular carcinoma in 2025, which would rank as the seventh-most common cancer in women if counted separately.
• Incidence has climbed roughly 2.8%–3% annually from 2012 to 2021, about three times the pace of other breast cancers at 0.8% per year.
• Because tumors often grow in linear or dispersed patterns rather than forming a lump, they can be missed on mammograms; clinicians may add ultrasound, contrast-enhanced mammography, or MRI when lobular disease is suspected.
• Early-stage outcomes are strong, but women with metastatic lobular cancer are about half as likely to be alive at 10 years compared with those with ductal cancer, reflecting distinct spread and therapy resistance.
• White women have the highest incidence, with the steepest recent increases among Asian American and Pacific Islander women and in women under 50; the authors urge separating lobular cancer in research and clinical trials.