A type of breast cancer that's notoriously difficult to spot in routine mammograms is becoming much more common, according to new research that highlights a concerning trend in women's health.

Rates of invasive lobular carcinoma have increased by nearly 3% each year over the past decade, according to research published by the American Cancer Society. In comparison, rates of all other breast cancers have risen by just under 1% a year.

Invasive lobular carcinoma — or ILC — is now behind more than one in 10 cases of breast cancer nationwide. That's about 47,000 people a year.

ILC begins in milk-producing glands and then spreads to nearby tissue. It's hard to detect because the cancer cells don't form a defined mass that shows up in mammograms.

Instead, it spreads in thin strands that appe

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