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Endocrine organ metastases in subjects with lobular carcinoma of the breast
H L Bumpers1, J M Hassett, R B Penetrante
1Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo.
Objective:
To define the frequency and pattern of endocrine organ metastases in patients dying of invasive lobular carcinoma.
Design:
Postmortem microscopic evaluation of the ovaries and adrenal, pituitary, thyroid, and parathyroid glands for breast cancer metastases.
Setting:
Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, between 1971 and 1990.
Subjects:
One hundred eighteen subjects who died of their cancer: 86 had infiltrating ductal carcinoma; 32, invasive lobular carcinoma.
Mean Outcome Measure:
Quantitative measurements to allow frequency determinations and statistical comparisons.
Results:
Endocrine organ metastases were found in 91% of the subjects with invasive lobular carcinoma vs 58% of subjects with infiltrating ductal carcinoma. The adrenal gland was most frequently involved. Multiple endocrine metastases were most common in the group with invasive lobular carcinoma.
Conclusions:
A relationship exists between invasive lobular carcinoma and endocrine metastases. This indicates that antemortem endocrine evaluation may subsequently improve quality-of-life treatment.