Question

Assertion (A): Breast conserving treatment is NOT applicable for lobular carcinoma of the breast.

Reason (R): Lobular carcinoma is multifocal in origin.

• A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
• B. Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A
• C. A is true but R is false
• D. A is false but R is true

Hint:

Lobular carcinoma often grows in several spots at once, which works against breast conserving surgery.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

This question links a surgical treatment choice to a growth pattern of invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast.

1. Growth pattern (the reason): Lobular carcinoma cells infiltrate breast tissue in thin single file lines rather than forming one clear lump. This makes it more likely to appear at several points in the breast at once, that is, to be multifocal or multicentric. This statement is true.
2. Treatment implication (the assertion): Because the disease is often spread across more than one area, a single lumpectomy struggles to remove it all with clear margins and an acceptable cosmetic outcome. Surgeons have therefore traditionally leaned toward mastectomy rather than breast conserving treatment for lobular carcinoma. This statement is also true.
3. Connecting the two: The multifocal nature described in the reason is precisely why breast conserving surgery falls short here, so the reason directly explains the assertion.

Both statements are correct, and the second logically supports the first.

Let's summarize:

• Lobular carcinoma often involves multiple sites in one breast.
• This multifocal spread is the reason mastectomy is favoured over breast conserving surgery for it.

So both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A.