Embedded Files
MISSION
MISSION
The mission of the Lobular American Research Consortium (LARC) is to establish the diagnosis of lobular histology as a gateway to precision treatment and improved outcomes for patients facing invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) breast cancer.
GOALS
GOALS
Leverage multi-institutional commitment to ILC research to coordinate the development of parallel patient cohorts with well annotated clinical data with associated tissues to address key outstanding questions about ILC biology and patient outcomes.
Improve and facilitate data sharing between institutional sites and advance lobular-specific data reporting from landmark clinical trials and clinical testing datasets.
Develop a harmonized multi-site data and tissue registry/archive to build a robust dataset for translational research questions.
Speed research progress through open communication and data sharing, transparency, and collaboration.
Take clinical observations on the distinct behavior of ILC back to the laboratory as a basis to understand the biology of ILC and metastatic ILC.
Grow long-term capacity to operate as an ILC trials consortium to develop and execute multi-site clinical trials through LARC teams, including by advancing laboratory findings on ILC biology toward biomarkers and precision therapies strategies.
HISTORY
HISTORY
Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) breast cancer research represents a relatively small field within the U.S. breast cancer research community, but is growing. Over the past 10 years, the foundation for more coordinated, national efforts in ILC was established.
2015
2015
The first ILC-focused clinical trial marked an early shift toward multi-institutional trial infrastructure for ILC.
2016
2016
The inaugural ILC Symposium brought together international ILC researchers and patient advocates.
2018
2018
Dynami Foundation, LBCA, and ELBCC established, drawing community interest and a dedicated ILC session at the SABC Symposium.
2019
2019
Formation of the Great Lakes ILC Consortium and launch of a multi-site registry analysis of ILC outcomes.
2022
2022
Great Lakes ILC Consortium publishes their landmark study, which included data from over 3,600 patients with ILC and demonstrated the power of inter-site collaboration.
2025
2025
October ILC Think Tank highlights how new U.S. ILC research teams were expanding broader collaborations.
The first ILC-focused clinical trial, initially launched in Pittsburgh in 2015, expanded into the broader Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium, marking an early shift toward multi-institutional trial infrastructure for ILC.
Research in the U.S. initially coalesced at the inaugural ILC Symposium in 2016 where international ILC researchers and patient advocates came together to share ideas.
In parallel, the Dynami Foundation and the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance, established in 2018, played pivotal roles in catalyzing the field by convening stakeholders and amplifying patient advocacy. With growing interest from the community, the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium featured its first ILC-focused session, reflecting increased visibility of ILC as a distinct biological and clinical entity among breast cancers.
In 2019, the Great Lakes Breast Cancer Symposium announced the formation of the Great Lakes ILC Consortium. This consortium performed a multi-site registry analysis of ILC outcomes, collecting data from Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic, University of Pittsburgh, and Ohio State University. Their landmark study in 2022 included data from over 3,600 patients with ILC, and demonstrated the power of inter-site collaboration to overcome long-standing barriers in sample size and statistical power in ILC research.
At the same time, the growth of new ILC research teams across the U.S. was providing new opportunities to expand broader ILC collaborations, which became markedly evident at the October 2025 ILC Think Tank, held at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Discussions with our European colleagues, and their successes through the European Lobular Breast Cancer Consortium (ELBCC) led to a collective goal from the think tank to start a U.S.-based researcher-driven consortium for ILC. This goal was the impetus for the initial meetings for what became LARC, building on nearly a decade of increasing momentum, collaboration, and recognition of ILC as a distinct and underserved subtype of breast cancer requiring dedicated scientific and clinical focus.
October 2025 ILC Think Tank at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
SHARED VALUES & MEMBER COMMITMENTS
SHARED VALUES & MEMBER COMMITMENTS
Trust & Confidentiality.
Trust & Confidentiality.
LARC was formed in part to facilitate the open sharing of cutting-edge ideas across sites and investigators, toward improving the speed of advancements in ILC research and developing the most robust research projects possible through collaboration.
We are a safe space for teams to discuss nascent research projects, to gain feedback, and develop the project, which is difficult in other forums due to fears of being ‘scooped’ or otherwise undermined.
LARC members are required to keep discussions confidential and to respect members’ intellectual property. Breach of this confidentiality is grounds for expulsion from LARC, with the membership fully informed of the grounds and circumstances, at the discretion of LARC leadership.
Engagement.
Engagement.
LARC members are committed, individually and as a group, to understanding the biology of ILC.
Member sites regularly attend LARC virtual and in-person meetings and engage by sharing new concepts, resources, and unpublished data.
Commitment of resources in particular is central to participation and engagement in LARC, specifically related to the development and sharing of ILC clinical data and tumor tissue cohorts.
Participation in LARC is contingent on a site’s ability and willingness to contribute well-annotated clinicopathologic data from patients with ILC treated at that site to a shared database/resource, along with matched tissues to the extent possible, for a minimum of 100 patients.
Independence.
Independence.
LARC is committed to conducting research that represents critical needs of the ILC and breast cancer community, based on the expertise of LARC leadership, sites, and investigators.
We are eager to partner with constituent organizations, industry/commercial partners, and other groups to develop and support ILC research, but will not enter into research or funding agreements that place any conditions on the consortium structure, LARC membership, or research directions or priorities.
Research Transparency.
Research Transparency.
Rapid research dissemination is critical to speeding research progress. LARC is committed to open discussion of research results in scientific forums, prompt and regular presentation of research abstracts at relevant conferences, and pre-printing of research manuscripts.
This transparency will also serve to continue to push for the visibility and representation of ILC in national/international discourse on breast cancer.
Equity & Inclusivity.
Equity & Inclusivity.
LARC strives to be actively inclusive of the full breadth of research and researchers studying ILC, in terms of our membership and the targets of our group’s initiatives and projects.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse