Lobular Carcinoma Variants
The following are recognized lobular carcinoma variants:
Tubulo-lobular
- Microtubule formation seen in addition to the classical pattern
- True tubulo-lobular carcinomas are E cadherin negative
- They should be distinguished from combined carcinomas composed of E cadherin-positive tubular elements and E cadherin-negative lobular elements - see Mixed Special Type/No
Special Type
Invasive Tubulo-lobular carcinoma - example 1
 |
 |
Selected views of a tubulo-lobular breast cancer - example 2
Click on images for further detail
Alveolar
- Made up of nests of invasive lobular carcinoma cells with central "alveolar" spaces
Invasive lobular carcinoma - alveolar variant
The three H&Es show a uniform alveolar growth pattern. E cadherin staining (top right) is negative
 |
 |
 |
 |
Solid
- Solid sheets and nests of cells with little stroma
Invasive lobular carcinoma - solid variant
 |
 |
 |
 |
Pleomorphic
- Retains growth pattern of classical ilc throughout
- Pleomorphic (Grade 3) nuclear features and more prominent nucleoli than seen in classical ilc
- Cytoplasm usually more abundant, pink and "myoid"
- Often not particularly mitotic and therefore Grade as "2"
Invasive lobular carcinoma - Pleomorphic variant - example 1
 |
 |
 |
 |
Invasive lobular carcinoma - Pleomorphic variant - example 2
 |
 |
 |
 |
Invasive lobular carcinoma - Pleomorphic variant - example 3
 |
 |
 |
 |
Lobular Mixed
- These consist of a mixture of the above subtypes of lobular carcinoma and is seen commonly in these circumstances
Invasive lobular carcinoma - Mixed classical and solid patterns
 |
 |
 |
 |
