ENDOCRINE ORGAN METASTASES IN SUBJECTS WITH LOBULAR CARCINOMA OF THE BREAST

Objective: To define the frequency and pattern of endocrine organ meta stases in patients dying of invasive lobular carcinoma. Design: Postmo rtem microscopic evaluation of the ovaries and adrenal, pituitary, thy roid, and parathyroid glands for breast cancer metastases. Setting: Ro swell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, between 1971 and 1990. Subje cts: One hundred eighteen subjects who died of their cancer: 86 had in filtrating ductal carcinoma; 32, invasive lobular carcinoma. Mean Outc ome Measure: Quantitative measurements to allow frequency determinatio ns and statistical comparisons. Results: Endocrine organ metastases we re 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 com mon in the group with invasive lobular carcinoma. Conclusions: A relat ionship exists between invasive lobular carcinoma and endocrine metast ases. This indicates that antemortem endocrine evaluation may subseque ntly improve quality-of-life treatment.