Complex karyotype in a low grade phyllodes tumor of the breast

Cytogenetic analysis of a phyllodes tumor of low grade malignancy disclosed the karyotype 52-55,XX, -1,+5,+7,+9,+10,+11,-15,+18,-19,+20,der(21)t(1;21)(p13;q22),+mar1x 2-4,+mar2[cp18]/46,XX. This study shows that a complex chromosome karyotype can be found in low-grade phyllodes tumors and is not necessarily a sign of extreme malignancy of these neoplasms.     

Malignant phyllodes tumor of the breast with predominant chondrosarcomatous differentiation

Malignant phyllodes tumor of the breast is a rare biphasic neoplasm, the stromal component of which may show homologous and heterologous sarcomatous elements. We present a case of a histologically malignant phyllodes tumor with sarcomatous overgrowth, affecting a 37-year-old woman in whom a chondrosarcomatous component constituted over 80% of the tumor volume. A malignant phyllodes tumor displaying a predominant chondrosarcomatous component is indeed rare, and the differential diagnosis could well affect the therapeutic approach, mainly with regard to metaplastic carcinoma and primary chondrosarcoma of the mammary gland. Thus, it is important to sample the tumor thoroughly to detect the presence of any area of typical phyllodes tumor, which could be very small. Immunohistochemical stains also should be performed so as to exclude a malignant epithelial component. After the final morphological diagnosis, our patient underwent a complete mastectomy without axillary disection. One year later, no local recurrence or metastasis was apparent.     

Immunohistochemical expression of heparan sulfate correlates with stromal cell proliferation in breast phyllodes tumors.

Phyllodes tumors are fibroepithelial neoplasms typified by stromal proliferation. We have previously shown the role of pathologic parameters and the prognostic significance of p53 and CD117 protein expression in these tumors. In this study, we evaluated the expression of heparan sulfate, which has been implicated in many biological processes such as cell adhesion, embryogenesis, and tumorigenesis (including malignant transformation of mammary cells) in 232 breast phyllodes tumors. We used a monoclonal antibody, 10E4, to examine the localization of heparan sulfate in phyllodes tumors by immunohistochemistry. The immunoreactivity of both epithelial and stromal components was examined and analyzed with pathological parameters and other immunohistochemical markers, including p53, MIB1, bcl2, and CD117. Stromal 10E4 expression was significantly associated with tumor grade, stromal p53, and MIB1 expression in proliferating cells, suggesting that heparan sulfate may participate in malignant tumor growth.     

Pseudomalignant changes in benign phyllodes breast tumor

Phylloides tumor of the breast is well known entity in pathology for a long time. It includes fibroepithelial tumors of the different biological character. They are generally divided into three groups: benign, low-grade malignant (borderline) and high-grade malignant. Adenoses of the breast are a group of the benign lesions, the main feature of which is the proliferation of the glandular component of the breast. More frequent adenoses occurring in practice are: blunt duct adenosis, sclerosing adenosis, nodular adenosis, adenosis tumor and florid adenosis. The less frequent adenoses are: microglandular adenosis, tubular adenosis, apocrine adenosis, and myoepithelial (adenomyoepithelial) adenosis. In this article two histologically unusual lesions of the breast in middle-aged women are presented, consisting of the benign variants of the phylloides tumor, modified distinctly by various types of adenoses, which can cause, together with intensive myoepithelial proliferation, great diagnostic problems, especially on frozen sections. They may be mistaken with invasive ductal or lobular cancer. Reliable differentiation between these entities is possible only by using of the immunohistochemical methods.     

Prognostic factors of phyllodes tumor of the breast

The phyllodes tumor is characterized by its tendency to recur locally and occasionally to metastasize. The purpose of the present paper was to assess the prognostic value of clinical-morphological characteristics in patients with phyllodes tumor. Forty-seven cases of phyllodes tumors was studied; the World Health Organization classification was used and follow up was obtained. A total of 51%, 28% and 21% of the tumors were classified as benign, borderline and malignant, respectively. The adherence (P = 0.01), size >10 cm (P = 0.001), high mitotic activity (P = 0.03), infiltrative tumor margin (P = 0.0002) and type of surgery in malignant tumors (P = 0.02) proved to be good predictors of relapse. The presence of pain (P = 0.03), postmenopausal status (P < 0.04), heavy cellular pleomorphism (P = 0.007), high mitotic activity (P = 0.002), tumoral grade (P = 0.006) and metastasis (P < 0.00001) were prognostic factors of poor survival. Tumoral grade and some clinical-morphological characteristics of patients with phyllodes tumors have a significant impact on the prediction of its biological behavior.     

Malignant phyllodes tumor following irradiation of the breast

This is a case report of malignant phyllodes tumor (cystosarcoma phyllodes) which appeared 15 years following medical irradiation of the breast for presumable carcinoma which had not been histologically or cytologically confirmed prior to treatment. Histology of the phyllodes tumor disclosed remnant of fibroadenoma in one area, and it is believed that the latter gave rise to the malignant phyllodes tumor within the field of irradiation. In view of recent popularity of the limited surgery and postoperative irradiation in treatment of breast carcinoma the possibility of malignant transformation of fibroadenoma left in situ is raised.     

乳腺叶状肿瘤的临床病理学研究

目的 探讨乳腺叶状肿瘤的病理形态学特点,分类和诊断标准,与复发转移的关系及其临床意义。方法 采用回顾性分析的方法对203例有随1访（6－372个月）资料的叶状肿瘤作了详细形态学持征的分析和分类研究,统计学聚类判别分析（SPSS软件10．0版）。结果 良性133例（复发28例）,交界性42例（复发19例,死亡2例）,恶性28例（复发18例,死亡15例）。统计学分析结果显示,肿瘤生长方式,瘤细胞异型性,核分裂象计数和肿瘤性坏死所组成的变量子集分类错判率为零。以此4项为主,完善了病理组织学诊断标准。良性,交界笥和恶性组间复发率,转移和死亡率差异均有显著性意义。肿瘤复发随术式的扩大而减少,2次以上复发占53．85％（35／65）。结论 此瘤可分为良性,低度恶性（交界性）及恶性三种类别。肿瘤生长方式,瘤细胞异型性,核分裂象和肿瘤性坏死是诊断此瘤并对其进行分级（分类）的重要依据。提示首次术式的选择的重要性,良性叶状肿瘤应选择肿物扩大切除术,对于复发的交界性和恶性肿瘤应作乳房切除术。     

Frequency of MED12 mutations in phyllodes tumors: Inverse correlation with histologic grade

Phyllodes tumor (PT) is a rare breast biphasic tumor with a potential risk of recurrence and metastasis. In this study, the frequency of MED12 mutations in 176 PTs (49 benign, 49 borderline, and 78 malignant) was determined and the prognostic effect of these mutations in malignant type PT was evaluated. Analysis of MED12 mutations was performed by Sanger sequencing targeting the hotspot mutation region (exon 2) of MED12. Immunohistochemistry was also applied for evaluation of MED12 protein expression on tissue microarray blocks for 133 PTs including 50 benign, 50 borderline, and 33 malignant cases. A notable difference in the frequency of MED12 mutations was found according to histologic grade (71.4% of benign PTs, 51% of borderline PTs, 26.9% of malignant PTs; P < 0.001). MED12 protein expression was not correlated with MED12 mutation status. Patients with malignant PTs that harbored MED12 mutations demonstrated improved disease‐free survival (DFS) compared with those without MED12 mutation (P = 0.07). MED12 mutation was a common molecular alteration in PT and the frequency of MED12 mutation decreased with increasing histologic grade. In malignant PT, MED12 exon 2 mutations showed improved DFS but without significance. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Cytogenetic findings in phyllodes tumor and fibroadenomas of the breast

The cytogenetic data on fibroadenomas and cystosarcoma phyllodes tumor of the breast, which are both biphasic breast tumors composed of epithelial and stromal components, are quite limited. In this study, we report on clonal chromosomal alterations in three fibroadenomas and one cystosarcoma phyllodes analyzed by GTG banding. The fibroadenomas presented mostly numerical abnormalities involving chromosomes 16, 18, and 21. One case presented a deletion on 17p. The cystosarcoma phyllodes presented numerous numerical abnormalities, mostly chromosome gains, and several marker chromosomes.     

Malignant phyllodes tumor of the breast with expression of osteonectin and vinculin

Phyllodes tumor is a very rare neoplasm which accounts for 2.5% of all fibroepithelial lesions of the breast. The mesenchymal component of a malignant phyllodes tumor frequently contains heterologous components. We report a case of malignant phyllodes tumor. The patient was a 40-year-old woman with a lump on the left breast. Histological examination revealed the lump to be a malignant phyllodes tumor with foci of liposarcomatous differentiation. The mesenchymal tumor cells, including those in the liposarcomatous components, were found to express vimentin, osteonectin and vinculin. However, they showed no immunoreaction to CAM 5.2, desmin, alpha-smooth muscle actin (ASMA), neuron-specific enolase (NSE) nor S-100. Ultrastructurally, the mesenchymal tumor cells were found to have abundant cytoplasmic organelles, but there was no evidence showing their differentiation to myofibroblasts. Further studies will be necessary to elucidate the significance of vinculin and osteonectin expression in malignant phyllodes tumor.     

乳腺叶状肿瘤患者不同病理分型的超声表现

目的 探讨不同病理学分型的乳腺叶状肿瘤的彩色多普勒超声表现。方法 回顾性研究。纳入江阴市中医院及东南大学医学院附属江阴医院2008年1月—2018年9月49例经手术治疗及病理证实为乳腺叶状肿瘤的患者。49例患者均为女性,年龄17～74(45.78±10.50)岁;术后病理分型诊断为良性乳腺叶状肿瘤20例(40.81%)、交界性21例(42.86%)、恶性8例(16.33%)。采用美国放射学会超声乳腺影像报告和数据系统(BI-RADS)标准进行评估,并比较良性、交界性及恶性三种病理亚型的肿瘤病灶最大径线、超声BI-RADS分类、血供差异,以及不同大小肿瘤超声声像图表现差异。结果 三种病理亚型肿瘤病灶最大径线分别为(3.57±2.17)cm、(5.00±3.71)cm及(2.88±1.52)cm,差异无统计学意义(F=2.083, P＞0.05);49例患者超声BI-RADS分类,0类6例、3类24例、4类12例、5类7例,三种病理亚型的超声BI-RADS分类差异具有统计学意义(H=22.732, P＜0.05);良性、交界性及恶性肿瘤的富血供率分别为35.00%(7/20)、52.45%(11/21)及8/8,差异有统计学意义(χ²=12.782, P＜0.01)。超声灰阶声像图显示,病灶最大径≥5 cm的肿瘤内部液化发生率为6/10,高于最大径＜5 cm肿瘤液化发生率17.9%(7/39),差异有统计学意义(χ²=5.224, P＜0.05)。结论 当乳腺肿瘤在超声声像图上表现为分叶状、囊性变时要考虑叶状肿瘤的可能,应用超声BI-RADS分类可能有助于鉴别良性、交界性及恶性乳腺叶状肿瘤,当乳腺内病灶呈现富血供时要考虑恶性可能,但该病确诊仍需依靠病理。     

Hormonal receptors expression in epithelial cells of mammary phyllodes tumors correlates with pathologic grade of the tumor: a multicenter study of 143 cases

We used immunohistochemical analysis to detect the presence of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and androgen receptor (AR) protein expression in the epithelial and stromal cells of 143 phyllodes tumors (PTs). Expression of epithelial ER and PR proteins was common, occurring in 43% to 84% of PTs. Expression of epithelial AR protein and stromal ER, PR, and AR proteins was low (5% or less) in all tumors. An inverse relationship of epithelial ER and PR protein expression with degree of malignancy in PT was found (P < .05), and ER expression also correlated with mitotic count (P < .05). When considering PT with the expression of ER or PR proteins and the coexpression of both, the inverse relationship with tumor grade also was significant (P < .05). As the hormonal receptor protein expression shows a consistent decrease with increasing malignancy, we infer that the epithelium has a crucial role in the pathogenesis or progression of PT.     

CD10, actin, and vimentin expression in breast phyllodes tumors correlates with tumor grades of the WHO grading system

The discrimination of borderline from malignant primary breast phyllodes (PT) tumor is still unclear. We studied 22 PT cases to investigate the immunohistochemical expression (staining of stromal CD10, SMA [smooth muscle actin], and vimentin) as well as the features of focal glandular atypia to determine whether these correlated with the histopathologic grading system. In our results, the stromal staining of CD10 was positive in 4 of 6 malignant and 2 of 5 borderline PT cases, but negative in all benign PT cases. Stromal actin and intraglandular vimentin-expressive tumor cells were found in 5 of 6 malignant PT cases but not in borderline and benign PT cases. There is a significant difference in the panel of stromal CD10, actin, and vimentin expression between borderline and malignant PT (p<0.05). Besides, the progression of malignant potential breast phyllodes tumor may cause glandular epithelium atypia with loss of polarity.     

乳腺叶状肿瘤分子遗传学与分子病理学研究进展

乳腺叶状肿瘤(Breast phyllodes tumours,BPT)[1-2]是一种病理形态和临床表现颇具特征的纤维上皮混合性肿瘤.有些研究者力求从组织学和细胞学特征方面来预测手术后局部复发的可能,但这些形态学标准往往受主观因素影响较多.     

Platelet-derived growth factor expression in phyllodes tumors and fibroadenomas of the breast

The development of normal breast tissue and the pathogenesis of various tumors are influenced by growth factor-mediated epithelial-stromal interactions. Similar interactions may occur in fibroepithelial breast tumors. We have studied the expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and PDGF beta receptor (PDGFRbeta) in 46 phyllodes tumors (18 benign, 15 borderline, 13 malignant), 11 fibroadenomas, and 6 samples of normal breast. There was neoplastic stromal cell positivity for PDGFRbeta in almost 50% of phyllodes tumors and for PDGF in 24%. Both were associated with prominent nuclear pleomorphism (P<.01), PDGF with high grade (P<.01), and a higher mean Ki-67 labeling index (P = .013), and PDGFRbeta with conspicuous stromal overgrowth (P<.01). Co-positivity for stromal PDGF and PDGFRbeta was found in 15% of phyllodes tumors, and for epithelial PDGF and stromal PDGFRbeta in 43%. Both types of co-positivity were associated with prominent nuclear pleomorphism and the latter type with conspicuous stromal overgrowth (all P<.01). Follow-up of 41 phyllodes tumors showed that disease-related death was associated with established histologic features of malignancy including mitotic count, stromal overgrowth, an infiltrative tumor margin, and nuclear pleomorphism. In addition, stromal PDGFRbeta positivity (P =.013) and epithelial PDGF/stromal PDGFRbeta co-positivity (P =.0075) were associated with disease-related death. Stromal PDGF and PDGFRbeta expression in fibroadenomas was less common and less extensive (P<.05) than in phyllodes tumors. The results suggest that PDGF influences the pathogenesis of fibroepithelial breast tumors and that PDGF-dependent paracrine and autocrine mechanisms may operate. Also, it is possible that assessment of PDGF and PDGFRbeta expression could contribute to the management of these tumors in the future.     

An immunohistochemical study of metaplastic spindle cell carcinoma, phyllodes tumor and fibromatosis of the breast

The diagnosis of metaplastic (sarcomatoid) carcinoma (MSC) of breast often requires immunohistochemistry with a cytokeratin (CK) panel to distinguish them from phyllodes tumors (PT), primary sarcomas, and fibromatoses. CK staining may be heterogeneous in metaplastic carcinomas. The aim of the study was to investigate the theory that MSCs show evidence of myoepithelial differentiation and to evaluate immunohistochemical markers that may be helpful in distinguishing MSCs from PT and fibromatosis. We reviewed histology and performed immunohistochemistry for AE1/AE3, 34betaE12, CK5 and CK14, Cam5.2, CK7 and CK19, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) (B55), smooth muscle actin (SMA), S100, desmin, vimentin, CD31, CD34, and bcl-2 on paraffin-embedded tissue from 18 MSCs, 26 PTs, and 8 fibromatoses. We assessed staining by using a semiquantitative method. Sarcomatous areas in MSCs were positive for 34betaE12 in 11 cases; for SMA in 10; for CK5 in 7; for CK14 in 6; for Cam5.2, AE1/AE3, and S100 in 5; and for CK7 and CK19 in 3. No CK expression was seen in stromal areas in PT or in fibromatoses. CD34 and bcl-2 were more frequently expressed in spindle cell areas in PTs (18 and 12 of 26, respectively) than in MSCs (0 and 2 of 18, respectively). MSCs show strong evidence of myoepithelial differentiation. CD34 and, to a lesser extent, bcl-2 positivity in PTs may be helpful in differentiating these two lesions from MSCs, particularly in small biopsies, because CK staining in MSCs may be heterogeneous. In our hands, 34betaE12 was the CK most frequently expressed in sarcomatoid areas in MSCs.