In Memoriam: Elizabeth Viggiano, Leader in Lobular Breast Cancer Advocacy

The MBC Alliance celebrates the life and work of member Elizabeth Viggiano, who passed away in August 2021. Elizabeth was a dedicated advocate and educator, loving mother and determined trailblazer in raising awareness and advocating for cures for lobular breast cancer.

Elizabeth joined the MBC Alliance in 2019 as a delegate of the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA). As a presenter at the MBC Alliance retreat in St. Louis, she helped educate attendees on the challenges and needs of people living with metastatic lobular breast cancer – a subtype that can metastasize late, spread to unique locations in the body, and is often hard to see on advanced imaging.

Diagnosed with de novo stage 4 metastatic lobular breast cancer after years of normal mammograms, Elizabeth was fiercely dedicated to working with researchers and clinicians to improve detection and treatment of lobular breast cancer. Following her diagnosis, she became a founding advocate and patient steering committee member for the LBCA, helping to rally a robust network of fellow patient advocates and healthcare professionals that was known on social media as the “#LobMob.”

We are forever grateful to Elizabeth for her commitment to improving outcomes for those living with metastatic lobular breast cancer. Her work to educate others on how advocacy can advance urgently-needed research in this field will have an enduring impact.