De novo metastatic lobular breast carcinoma: A population-based study from SEER database.

Purpose: Patients with metastatic lobular breast carcinoma constitute a heterogeneous group with distinguishing features. Our aim was to describe the features and survival of them, and further subdivide them into subcategories for prognostic stratification and treatment planning.

Patients And Methods: Patients with de novo metastatic breast cancer from 2010 to 2018 were identified using the SEER database. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to calculate odds ratios. The within-pair difference was minimized by propensity score matching. Multiple comparisons based on Cox proportional hazards model were performed to investigate the interactions of M1 subcategory and treatment modality on survival.

Results: A total of 1,675 patients with de novo metastatic lobular breast carcinoma were identified, they were more likely to have HR+/HER2- subtype, low histologic grade, low T/N stage, fewer metastatic sites, but worse prognosis compared with patients with metastatic ductular breast carcinoma. The M1 stage was subdivided into 3 subcategories with significantly different prognoses. The benefits of primary tumor surgery were more pronounced in M1a/b disease, whereas the benefits of chemotherapy increased with the progression of metastatic disease.

Conclusion: Patients with metastatic lobular breast carcinoma have unique clinicopathological characteristics and metastatic patterns. M1 subcategory assists prognosis stratification and treatment planning for such patients.