Mayo Clinic Health Manager

Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.

Get Started

Free

E-Newsletter

Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics. About our newsletters

  • Housecall
  • Alzheimer's caregiving
  • Living with cancer

Tests and diagnosis

By Mayo Clinic staff

Early diagnosis of ILC can be challenging. A mammogram, which takes X-ray images of your breast tissue, may not detect ILC early in the cancer's development.

Your doctor may use a mammogram or a breast ultrasound (ultrasonography) to evaluate an abnormality found during a physical exam or seen on a screening mammogram. Ultrasound uses sound waves to produce images of structures deep within the body. Ultrasound tends to be better than mammography at detecting ILC, but may also underestimate the size of the tumor.

At the time of diagnosis and before surgery, your doctor may order magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast to evaluate the extent of the breast cancer and help with surgical management decisions. Breast MRI uses a magnet and radio waves to take pictures of the breast's interior.

The diagnosis of ILC can only be made by biopsy — removing samples of breast tissue for analysis in the laboratory. If the biopsy results confirm that you have ILC, the next step is to determine how advanced your cancer is — its stage, or extent and severity.

Cancer cells removed in a biopsy will also be tested for the presence or absence of receptors for estrogen and progesterone. ILC is almost always estrogen receptor positive, which means it may be treated with drugs that alter hormone interactions with the cancer cells.

DS01063

March 25, 2008

© 1998-2009 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Reliable tools for healthier lives," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Print Share Reprints

Text Size: smaller largerlarger