A 35-year-old woman presents with a 2 cm breast lump; core biopsy shows lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). Which of the following best describes the significance of LCIS?

• A It is a direct precursor to invasive lobular carcinoma at the same site
• B It requires wide local excision with clear margins
• C It is associated with comedonecrosis and calcification on mammography
• D It is a risk marker conferring bilateral increased risk of invasive breast cancer ✓

Explanation

LCIS is considered a risk marker (not an obligate precursor) for invasive cancer, conferring an approximately 8–10 fold increased lifetime risk for invasive carcinoma in both breasts bilaterally. Unlike DCIS, it does not require clear margins and is typically managed with surveillance and risk-reduction strategies such as chemoprevention. Comedonecrosis and calcification are features of high-grade DCIS, not LCIS.

Reference: Bailey & Love's Short Practice of Surgery, 27th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.