ASO Author Reflections: Breast Conservation and Negative Margins in Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: The Impact of Oncoplastic Surgery and Shave Margins in 358 Patients

Excerpt

The recognition that breast cancer is not one disease, but composed of multiple different diseases, has revolutionized its systemic management and improved outcomes for patients.1 We see this in the application of molecular assays to help guide adjuvant therapy decisions, the use of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted agents, and ongoing personalized therapy trials.2‐4 While surgical management of breast cancer is evolving to adjust for tumor response and the role of multimodal therapy, very little differs in the standard surgical approach across different tumor subtypes. Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the second most common type of breast cancer and presents a challenge in terms of surgical management. Imaging often underestimates tumor size, and women with ILC face higher rates of positive margins and lower rates of breast conservation. …