Solitary Orbital Metastasis 35 Years after a Diagnosis of Lobular Carcinoma in Situ

Invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast: the increasing importance of this special subtype

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the most common of the breast cancer special types, accounting for up to 15% of all breast cancer cases. ILCs are noted for their lack of E-cadherin function, which underpins their characteristic discohesive growth pattern, with cells arranged in single file and dispersed throughout the stroma. Typically, tumours are luminal in molecular subtype, being oestrogen and progesterone receptor positive, and HER2 negative. Since last reviewing the lobular literature (McCart Reed et al., Breast Cancer Res 17:12, 2015), there has been a considerable increase in research output focused on this tumour type, including studies into the pathology and management of disease, a high-resolution definition of the genomic landscape of tumours as well as the evolution of several potential therapeutic avenues. There abounds a huge amount of new data, which we will review herein.

Orbital Metastases: When to Suspect? When to biopsy?

Incidental orbital masses that are asymptomatic and appear benign are often observed without surgical intervention unless there is a clinical or radiographic change in the mass. There is a burgeoning population of cancer patients with incidental masses that have been detected while under surveillance for metastasis. This population of patients is growing due to a number of reasons, including more extensive imaging, an aging population, and more effective cancer treatments. Closer scrutiny should be applied to these patients, due to the possibility of the mass being an orbital metastasis. In addition, the approach to these patients may have implications regarding the adult patient without a cancer history who presents with a symptomatic orbital mass. The purpose of this paper is to explore the approach to the patient with and without a cancer history who presents with an orbital mass.