[Morphogenesis of dysplasia and lobular cancer of the breast]

During the recent ten-year period lobular cancer of the mammary gland arrests special interest. It is characterized by a specific clinical course, frequent bilateral involvement of the glands, multicentric and manifest invasive growth without any noticeable signs of destruction of the pre-existing glandular tissue. This cancer is preceded by carcinoma in situ. In the paper, the necessity is substantiated to differentiate this kind of cancer as a special nosological unit, its peculiar structure being described. Besides the classical form of the growth from small homologous cells like chains, also there was found a special form of the growth as alveolar structures consisting of light pagetoid cells. The initial stages of lobular cancer growth are described both against the background of carcinoma in situ and avoiding it from dysplasia. Attention is given to a tendency of this cancer to mucicarminophilia, a frequent association with mucous cancer, the data speaking in favour of its myoepithelial origin are reported. It is emphasized that carcinoma in situ may give rise both to lobular (myoepithelial origin) and other forms of cancer.