NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Experts are warning about a concerning trend in breast cancer diagnoses, as cases of lobular breast cancer are rising three times faster than all other types of breast cancer combined.
New research from the American Cancer Society said 33,000 women will be diagnosed this year with lobular breast cancer, a dangerous type that can be extremely difficult to detect through standard screening methods.
Many women diagnosed with lobular breast cancer are younger and might not have a family history of cancer, the study found. This cancer forms in milk-producing glands and spreads from there.
Unlike typical breast cancers that form detectable lumps, lobular breast cancer develops with a distinctly different structure that makes it harder to spot on a mammogram.
Angela Giaquinto, a surveillance researcher with the American Cancer Society, said lobular breast cancer lacks a protein that normally causes the cells to group into a tumor. Without the protein, the cancer more likely to spread without detection.
"Lobular breast cancer, it has a very unique form when it develops within the breast," Giaquinto said. "Lobular breast cancers are much more likely to kind of form these tumors that are the cells arranged in single file lines or almost more like a sheet of paper."
This unique formation pattern makes the disease difficult for even trained doctors and radiologists to identify, Giaquinto said. Along with additional research, they're working to raise awareness and training around how to detect lobular breast cancer.
Gina Bolton never heard of lobular breast cancer when she was diagnosed in 2023. She only discovered her cancer after feeling a lump in her breast and pushing for additional testing when her mammogram came back normal.
"Extremely shocked to get that diagnosis," Bolton said. "I was told that my tumor had probably been there for a couple of years, so, most likely, it was missed."
Her persistence in seeking answers eventually led to a double mastectomy. Bolton faced surgical complications but recovered with family support. Now two years cancer-free, she believes the medical community needs to prioritize this type of cancer research.
"I don't think the scientific community is focused on lobular breast cancer because there is a great survival rate when it's caught early," Bolton said. "There is a real need for more lobular research. We really need to study why so many women are being diagnosed with lobular and how to treat it."
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Laura Morrow experienced a different but equally aggressive form of breast cancer that also evaded early detection. She said the original ultrasound was only scanning cancer, so they never found margins of the defined tumor.
Her inflammatory breast cancer progressed rapidly once symptoms appeared and additional testing confirmed the disease.
"Thankfully, I did have a lump," Morrow said. "My cancer was so aggressive, it went from nothing to a grapefruit in eight days once I knew there was something going on."
Morrow says many women with breast cancer face misdiagnosis because the symptoms can mimic other conditions. Lobular breast cancer doesn't always look and act like normal cancer.
Both survivors emphasized the importance of women advocating for themselves when they notice changes, even if initial tests come back normal.
"Continue to follow up until you find the answers to what is wrong," Morrow said.
Instead of just looking for lumps, researchers said women should pay attention to breast thickening, hardening, swelling or a change in texture. Lobular breast cancer can also show up as dimpling or nipple inversion.
Despite the rising number of lobular breast cancer cases, significant knowledge gaps remain about the disease. Giaquinto said researchers are still working to understand whether different treatments or screening methods would be more effective for this specific type of cancer.
"There's still a lot that we don't know about it. We don't know if there's different treatments or if there's different screenings that would be better at finding this breast cancer," she said. "What was surprising, really, once we began to dig in, we saw that this cancer is a very large burden among women."
Giaquinto emphasized that early detection remains crucial for improving outcomes, as cancers caught before they spread are typically easier to treat with better survival rates.
"Before they spread, they're usually much easier to treat and survival is much better and improved," Giaquinto said.
The problem with lobular breast cancer is many people don't detect it until the cancer cells have been growing for years. Research shows lobular has a much lower chance of survival after 10 years.
Giaquinto urges women to trust their instincts about their bodies and seek medical attention when they notice changes.
"At the end of the day, you know your body best," Giaquinto said. "Sometimes, there might be symptoms that you might be experiencing that might cause women to go get a mammogram."