UCSF Breast Cancer Specialists Share Expertise on Challenging Breast Cancer Type

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the second most common type of breast cancer but is challenging to detect because of how it spreads in breast tissue. ILC has been understudied compared to other types of breast cancer and there is a continuing need for better detection and treatment strategies.

The 2026 International Invasive Lobular Carcinoma Symposium will bring together international experts, clinicians, scientists, and patient advocates to review the latest updates and research on lobular breast cancer. The symposium is being held at Hyatt Regency in San Francisco from Wednesday, September 23, 12:00 p.m. through Friday, September 25, 4:30 p.m.

The symposium is the premier scientific and clinical meeting focused on lobular breast cancer. Founded in 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the International Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) Symposium was established as the first scientific meeting dedicated entirely to invasive lobular carcinoma. The symposium is designed to inform physicians and scientists about the latest developments in ILC diagnosis, imaging, therapy, and patient management.

“Patients with ILC face challenges like delays in diagnosis and uncertain treatment paths,” said Rita Mukhtar, MD, UCSF professor of Surgery, director of the UCSF ILC research program and this year’s ILC symposium host. “We tend to see that many commonly used treatment approaches are suboptimal for ILC, but the hope is that ongoing research will help us tailor treatments specifically to the unique features of ILC to improve outcomes along the continuum of diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance. The ILC Symposium brings world-renowned experts together to work on these problems, all focused on ILC.”

As experts in research and treatment of ILC, UCSF clinicians and researchers will share their experiences and insights about future treatment directions.

2026 ILC Symposium Agenda – UCSF Speakers

Session and Debate Speakers

Wednesday, September 23

Welcome for the Opening of 2026 International Invasive Lobular Carcinoma Symposium

Rita Mukhtar, MD, ILC symposium host and professor of Surgery in the UCSF Division of Surgical Oncology

Scientific Session 1: Genetics, Risk, and Exposures

Mindy Goldman, MD, UCSF Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Chief Clinical Officer at Midi Health

Thursday, September 24

Scientific Session 3: Mechanisms of Metastasis

Valerie Weaver, PhD, director of the Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration in the UCSF Department of Surgery.

Jay Debnath, MD, Distinguished Professor and Chair of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

Friday, September 25

Keynote Address 2: Novel approaches to screening and clinical trials for breast cancer: how to improve care for ILC

Laura J. Esserman, MD, MBA, Alfred A. de Lorimier Endowed Chair in General Surgery and director of the UCSF Breast Care Center

Debate 3: Patients with ILC should be treated with neoadjuvant therapy

Jo Chien, MD, medical director of UCSF Breast Medical Oncology, UCSF professor of Medicine, and principal investigator for Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Abstracts for Oral Podium and Quickshot Presentations

All accepted abstracts from oral and poster presentations will be published in the Journal of Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

Podium Presentations:

Anna Vertido, MD, a UCSF general surgery resident presents “Incidence of Bilateral Breast Cancer in Patients with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast: an Institutional Cohort Study of 998 Patients.”

Quickshot Presentations:

Julia Ye, MD, PhD, UCSF assistant professor of Clinical Pathology, presents “Beyond E-Cadherin: Histologic and Immunohistochemical Features of Invasive Lobular Carcinomas with Non-truncating CDH1 Mutations."

Elisabeth Abeles, MD, post-doctoral research fellow in the UCSF lobular breast cancer research program and general surgery resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, presents “Omission of Axillary Surgery in Patients with invasive Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast: Rates of Nodal involvement in Clinically Node Negative Patients and Impact on Recurrence in a Single institution Analysis.”

The symposium is sponsored by the UCSF Department of Surgery and Genentech, as well as California Breast Cancer Research Program, GE Healthcare, Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance, National Cancer Institute, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Additional support is provided by Agendia, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Dynami Foundation, Exact Sciences, Gilead, natera, University of Colorado Anschutz, UCSF Health, UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ataraxis and Personalis.

More information about 2026 International Invasive Lobular Carcinoma Symposium, including the full agenda, visit https://ilcsymposium.com/.