Where does invasive lobular carcinoma spread to?

Cancer is the ultimate buzzkill. Some people have to deal with this pesky little disease and their “normal” lives become a battle against their own bodies. One of them is invasive lobular carcinoma or ILC, which sounds like some kind of futuristic movie villain but in fact, it’s a seriously bad thing that affects hundreds of thousands of women every year.

What is Invasive Lobular Carcinoma?

Lobules are milk-producing glands found in the breasts. So when we say that there’s cancer in the lobules that’s been diagnosed as “Invasive,” what we mean is that these abnormal cells residing within the breast tissue walls have broken free from where they originated and now are spreading outside into other parts of your body; usually to your lymph nodes and bones.

ILC starts out in the breast lobules but unfortunately doesn’t stay put for long. This type of cancer has an affinity for traveling around inside one’s body like an over-excited tourist who can’t stop taking selfies everywhere she goes.

But where exactly do those sneaky tumor tourists go next? Let’s take a closer look at some common destinations they choose:

Lymph Nodes

Ah, good old lymph nodes! They’re practically magnets for all sorts of peculiar things trying WAY too hard to cross borders without permission (a.k.a cancer). The closest set(s) possible will often catch any rebels invading our system through aggressive checkpoint inspections…that may sound harsh on immigrants but bear with me here!

Why do so many rebel-in-cancers settle down here you ask? Well:

  • They want access to more blood/lymph supply routes throughout our system
  • Lymphatic vessels make up another transportation network between tissues – perfect form oops-i-did-it-again escapades.
  • Often forming solid hierarchical structures or nodal groups these nodes can form the primary loci of a tumor.
  • Over 70% of ILC cases spread to one or more lymph nodes

Bones

It’s beyond me how bones are so alluring for cancer cells. They don’t offer much action really (unless you’re Wolverine), but every third person who gets Invasive Lobular Carcinoma ends up with bone metastases.

We’ve created some reasons that may explain why our bodies’ skeletons make such great target destinations:

  • Bones have plenty of room!
    • Seriously, they’re mostly empty except for the certain few points where blood-forming cells congregate
  • Having said that, there’s still access to nutrients and oxygen in limited amounts throughout a healthy bone
  • My hairdresser told me about it last week can be traumatic as long-term stress has been suggested to increase bone marrow ‘homing’/receptivity levels
    Don’t worry though, even if those pesky tumors find their way into your bones. Just like you’d need permission from your parents to stay out past curfew as a child, doctors will restrict them via radiation treatments; leaving cancerous hitchhikers no real place to go .

Brain

So far we’ve touched on Lymph Nodes and Bones – pretty typical locations where ILC likes to kick back and grow either due available nutrient supply stores allowing for large voluminous growths (bones) or rapid transportation networks between tissues/blood supplies.

But brains? Really?

Yes indeed! Though not commonly known instances this does happen quite frequently actually amongst people fighting advanced breast cancers manifesting anywhere else.

The good news is that treatment options are becoming increasingly effective at dealing with brain metastasis. So whilst its certainly cause for concern it’s by far not a hopeless situation/position most types will ever want themselves in!

As scientific research continues more opportunities exist than ever before towards combating this wacky, wild disease. Until then though – the ILC prefer to keep us guessing as where they’ll pop up next!

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