In rare breast cancer, poor response to treatment may not affect outcome

By April Clarkson, June 20th, 2013 | Health | 0 Comments

A study shows that women with invasive lobular breast cancer who do not respond to chemotherapy may still do well in the long term.
Invasive lobular breast cancer is a rare form of advanced breast cancer where the best treatment approach has not been clear. A group at the University of Texas M.D Anderson Cancer Center report that women with this disease don’t always have a poor prognosis, even if they don’t respond to chemotherapy.

In the past, it has been assumed that poor responders to chemotherapy would not do well in the long term. But it’s now becoming clear that they are many different forms of breast cancer and this may not always hold true. This study shows that invasive lobular carcinoma is very different from invasive ductal carcinoma, the more common form of advanced disease.

The data in this study come from over 1,000 women having chemotherapy to shrink their tumors before surgery. Women with lobular disease - which originates in the milk-producing glands of the breast - had a poorer response to chemo, but a better five year survival rate than those with ductal disease. This form develops in the milk duct vessels extending from the lobules to the nipple. Five year survival was 91 per cent in the lobular patients, compared with 72 per cent in those with ductal breast cancer. But response to chemo was only 3 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. Maybe chemotherapy before surgery really isn’t necessary in women who have lobular invasive breast cancer?