Complex Collagenous Spherulosis of the Breast Presenting as a Palpable Mass: A Case Report with Immunohistochemical and Ultrastructural Studies

Abstract: Collagenous spherulosis is a rare, benign breast lesion occuring in less than 1% of benign breast biopsies. All previously reported cases have been discovered as incidental microscopic findings in association with a range of benign to malignant processes. The authors report the first case of collagenous spherulosis presenting as a palpable mass. Immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy performed on this lesion demonstrated the presence of two cell types: epithelial cells and myoepithelial cells with associated basement membranelike material. Collagenous spherulosis may mimic adenoid cystic carcinoma since the epithelial proliferation and spherule formation in collagenous spherulosis closely resembles the changes in adenoid cystic carcinoma. However, adenoid cystic carcinoma is an invasive lesion that is almost always palpable, while collagenous spherulosis is almost always an incidental microscopic finding. Our case illustrates that collagenous spherulosis can also result in a palpable mass, thus palpability of the lesion cannot be used to differentiate these conditions.     

Multicentric Secretory Carcinoma of the Breast in a 35-Year-Old Woman: Mammographic Appearance and the Use of Core Biopsy in Preoperative Management

Abstract: Core biopsy of the breast has been increasingly utilized as a first-line diagnostic approach for mammographic breast lesions, palpable breast lesions, or both. Core biopsy has been shown to be cost-effective in sparing a significant fraction of women an open surgical procedure and, in conjunction with radiologic imaging studies, can allow for planning of definitive therapy in women with malignant lesions ( 1 - 4 ). We present a case of multicentric secretory carcinoma of the breast in which the diagnosis was suggested by core biopsy. This case represents the first reported instance of core biopsy in secretory carcinoma, one of the rarest types of mammary carcinoma. We describe the mammographic appearance of the lesion, the appearance of the tissue core, and the use of core biopsy in the proper preoperative management of this rare, multicentric lesion.     

Seat belt injury to the female breast

Six women who sustained injury to a breast from seatbelt straps during road traffic accidents are presented. In three the breast contained a carcinoma. In view of the overlap of the appearance of fat necrosis and carcinoma by clinical and radiological examination all such lesions should be biopsied to exclude carcinoma as the history of the lesion can be dangerously misleading.     

Invasive Breast Carcinoma Arising in Microglandular Adenosis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract:  Microglandular adenosis of the breast is an extremely rare, benign lesion. Carcinoma arising in microglandular adenosis has been reported in up to 27% of patients with microglandular adenosis. We reported a case of invasive carcinoma arising in microglandular adenosis. A lumpectomy was performed on a 42-year-old female because of a mass in the right breast. Grossly, the lesion was ill-defined with thickened areas. Histologically, this case was consistent with carcinoma arising in microglandular adenosis and showed clear transition from microglandular adenosis through atypical microglandular adenosis to in situ and invasive carcinoma. All the epithelial cells were positive for cytokeratin7, S-100 protein, but negative for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and Her2/Neu. No myoepithelial cells were demonstrable with immunohistochemical staining for smooth muscle actin, muscle-specific antigen or P63. Periodic acid-Schiff staining showed the presence of a basement membrane in microglandular adenosis, atypical microglandular adenosis, in situ carcinoma and the absence in invasive carcinoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of carcinoma arising in microglandular adenosis in China.     

A perplexing presentation of a breast carcinoma: a case report

Breast cancer is a devastating disease for women. In this paper, we present a breast carcinoma presenting in a bizarre location. It was initially presumed that the patient had skin cancer, but the lesion turned out to be breast cancer presenting as a superficial mass on the skin of the breast.     

Axillary Dissection for Tubular Carcinoma of the Breast

Abstract: Tubular carcinoma of the breast is a well-differentiated form of invasive breast cancer that has less metastatic potential than other forms. We reviewed our experience with both pure and mixed tubular carcinoma to determine the appropriateness of axillary dissection in the treatment of tubular carcinoma of the breast. Thirty patients with a diagnosis of tubular carcinoma or mixed tubular carcinoma of the breast were studied, 22 of whom had axillary node dissections. We assessed the presence of histologically proven axillary node metastases in patients treated with elective axillary dissection. Of the patients with pure tubular carcinomas, 0/14 had axillary lymph node metastases and only 1/8 (13%) patients with mixed tubular carcinomas had axillary metastases. The single patient with axillary node metastases had a lesion over 1.2 cm in diameter. Axillary dissection would therefore not appear to be indicated for pure tubular carcinomas less than 1 cm in diameter.?     

Cystic Hypersecretory Duct Carcinoma of the Breast

Abstract: We present two cases of a rare form of intraductal carcinoma of the breast, "cystic hypersecretory carcinoma of the breast." The clinical and pathologic characteristics of the lesion are discussed, along with a review of the literature.     

Merkel cell carcinoma in a male breast: a case report

Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare skin neoplasm and has not been reported yet in a male breast. We present a case of 74-year-old patient who was referred to the breast clinic with a lump in his right breast, which led first to the core biopsy followed by radical mastectomy and axillary clearance. The clinical characteristics, gross, microscopic and immunohistochemical findings and management of this lesion are discussed. Surgical excision remains the main option for treating this lesion including prophylactic lymphadenectomy and local radiotherapy.     

Diffuse dermal angiomatosis mimicking inflammatory breast carcinoma

Diffuse dermal angiomatosis (DDA) is a rare pathologically distinct subtype of reactive angioendotheliomatosis. In the literature, few biopsy‐proven cases involving breast skin have been reported. We present a case of a 49‐year‐old female who presented with an indurated, erythematous, weeping, puckered and tender lesion with focal ulceration. Mammography demonstrated diffuse cutaneous and trabecular thickening concerning for inflammatory breast carcinoma. A punch biopsy demonstrated findings consistent with DDA. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of DDA mimicking inflammatory carcinoma of the breast by clinical and radiologic examination.     

The Development of New, Primary, Noninvasive Carcinoma of the Breast 29 Years after Bilateral Radical Mastectomy

Abstract: We present the case of a patient with a new, primary noninvasive breast carcinoma arising in residual breast tissue 29 years after radical mastectomy. The patient, a 75-year-old black woman with no family history of breast or ovarian cancer, had undergone left radical mastectomy in 1956 (age 35) and right radical mastectomy in 1965 (age 44). Examination revealed a 3-mm nodule in the right anterior axillary line. On excision, the lesion was a 1.5-mm intracystic papillary ductal carcinoma in situ arising in a background of atypical ductal hyperplasia (representing residual breast tissue). The patient has not agreed to testing for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. The theoretical risk of new primary breast cancers arising in residual breast tissue has been suggested as a reason why prophylactic mastectomy may not be completely effective. This case suggests that even after what appeared to be aggressive radical mastectomy, enough breast tissue remained so that the patient was at risk for recurrent breast cancer.     

Lytic bone lesions in an Australian population: the results of 100 consecutive biopsies

BACKGROUND: The identification of a lytic bone lesion is often perceived as a harbinger of malignancy, especially in an older patient. This study reviews the results of 100 consecutive biopsies of patients who presented with either a solitary lesion or multiple lytic bone lesions in the absence of a history of malignancy. METHODS: Following preoperative planning, including plain radiographs, bone scan and computed tomography scanning, an open biopsy was carried out. RESULTS: The most common site affected was the pelvis (20 patients), followed by the femur (19) and tibia (15). The lesions were solitary in 88 patients and multiple in 12. The most common diagnosis was a secondary carcinoma presenting as a bone lesion, which was found in 25 patients. The carcinomas were a widely distributed group, but the most common among them were renal cell carcinoma (seven patients), breast carcinoma (five patients) and lung carcinoma (five patients). The most common primary bone tumour was a giant cell tumour (16) followed by myeloma (10). Multiple lesions were not universally an indication of a malignant process. In 14 patients the lesion was not a tumour. CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes the importance of obtaining a tissue diagnosis.     

Ductal eccrine carcinoma presenting as a Paget's disease-like lesion of the breast

Some types of skin appendage tumors, particularly ductal eccrine carcinomas (DEC), imitate breast carcinomas histologically, thus causing great diagnostic challenges. We describe a case of DEC presenting as an eczematous, crusted skin lesion on the right nipple-areolar complex in a 67-year-old woman. A skin biopsy done under the clinical impression of Paget's disease of the nipple was initially misinterpreted as infiltrating ductal carcinoma, and a subsequent modified radical mastectomy revealed DEC exclusively confined to the nipple with perinodal tumor metastasis in one of the axillary lymph nodes. This case highlights the diagnostic difficulty caused by the histologic homology between breast carcinomas and skin appendage tumors with ductal differentiation.     

Myoepithelial Carcinoma of the Breast with Focal Rhabdoid Features

Myoepithelial carcinoma of the breast is extremely rare and only 33 cases have been reported in the English literature. Herein, we report a case of myoepithelial carcinoma of the breast with focal rhabdoid features. The patient was a 67‐year‐old woman, who presented with a lump of the left breast that rapidly grew to 3 cm in diameter within 3 months. Lumpectomy revealed a solid and whitish colored tumor, which was composed mainly of elongated spindle‐shaped cells with mild atypia, focal necrosis, and infiltrative margin. In a small area of the lesion, ovoid tumor cells exhibited eccentric nuclei with centrally located nucleoli and plump cytoplasm including round eosinophilic inclusions, resembling a rhabdoid tumor. Immunohistochemically, both types of tumor cells exhibited a myoepithelial phenotype. MIB‐1 index was 30%. The cytoplasmic inclusion of the ovoid cells exhibited immunopositivity for both vimentin and cytokeratin. From these findings, this tumor was diagnosed as a myoepithelial carcinoma with focal rhabdoid features. Although rhabdoid features have been reported in some types of malignant and benign tumors, this is the first report of such features in myoepithelial carcinoma of the breast.     

Gallbladder metastases from ductal papillary carcinoma of the breast

Breast cancer occurs primarily in women aged 25 years or older. Breast carcinoma has the potential for widespread dissemination, such as metastasis to axillary lymph nodes, bone, lung, pleura, brain, and soft tissues. Liver, gastrointestinal, and biliary tract involvement are infrequent. We report a patient, a 62-year-old woman, with symptomatic cholelithiasis. The patient proceeded to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. She had a previous history of mastectomy with axillary lymphadenectomy, performed for a breast ductal papillary carcinoma, 10 years prior to the cholecystectomy. The gallbladder was hydropic; the wall was thickened, with a focal broad-based lesion on the mesenteric face of the body. Histopathological evaluation of the focal broad-based lesion of the gallbladder revealed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma infiltration, without mucosal involvement. Subsequent immunohistochemical examination showed the lesion to be cytokeratin 7(CK7)-positive and cytokeratin 20 (CK20)-negative. Estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR) were positive. The final pathological diagnosis was breast ductal papillary carcinoma metastases to the gallbladder. Mammography of the other breast was normal. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the brain, chest, abdomen, and pelvis was performed, without any pathological findings. Bone Tc-99 scintigraphy was normal. Six months after the surgery positron emission tomography (PET) showed no evidence of metastatic disease. Two years after the surgery, the patient died, in the absence of recurrence. A literature review revealed only a few more cases of metastasic breast carcinoma to the gallbladder.     

BI-RADS MRI enhancement characteristics of ductal carcinoma in situ

To identify the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enhancement characteristics of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). A retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent breast MRI for newly diagnosed breast carcinoma prior to surgery was conducted. This yielded 381 lesions in 361 patients with pathologic confirmation of either DCIS alone, invasive carcinoma alone, or mixed invasive and in-situ disease. Presence or absence of a MRI lesion at the site of the documented carcinoma was recorded, and for all identified MRI lesions the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System morphology patterns were recorded. MRI features of the different malignancy types were compared utilizing Fisher's exact tests; 64/381 (16.8%) lesions had DCIS, 101/381 (26.5%) had invasive carcinoma, and 216/381 (56.7%) had mixed invasive/in situ carcinoma. A MRI lesion corresponding to the known cancer was identified in 55/64 (85.9%) cases of DCIS, 98/101 (97.0%) cases of invasive carcinoma, and 212/216 (98.1%) cases of mixed invasive and in-situ carcinoma. For pure DCIS lesions, 38/64 (59.4%) exhibited nonmass-like enhancement (NMLE), 9/64 (14.1%) were masses, and 8/64 (12.5%) were a focus. For pure invasive carcinomas 79/101(78.2%) were masses, 16/101 (15.8%) were NMLE, and 3/101 (3.0%) were a focus. For mixed lesions 163/216 (75.5%) were masses, 44/216 (20.4%) demonstrated NMLE, and 5/216 (2.3%) were a focus. The most common NMLE patterns of pure DCIS were segmental distribution and clumped internal enhancement. Although there is overlap in the MRI morphology and enhancement pattern of in situ and invasive breast carcinoma, DCIS more frequently manifests as NMLE than does invasive carcinoma.     

Juvenile secretory carcinoma of the breast

Juvenile secretory carcinoma of the breast, a rare tumor in infants and children, has an unusual histological appearance and clinical behavior. Isolated case reports and small series have appeared since this lesion was first described by McDivitt and Stewart in 1966. Our case of a 3-year-old boy with axillary metastasis and 17 cases in children, from the literature, provide the basis of this review. Of the 18 patients, there were three boys and 15 girls. Their ages ranged from 3 to 17 years (mean 9.8 years). All patients presented with an asymptomatic mass in the breast. None had nodes which were clinically involved. Eight patients had excisional biopsy only. Two patients had quadrantectomy. Four had simple mastectomy; one of whom received postoperative axillary irradiation, and one of whom had axillary nodal sampling (our patient). One patient had a modified radical mastectomy and three had radical mastectomy. Two of eight children who had excisional biopsy alone developed local recurrences. In the first patient, the recurrences occurred at 2 and 8 years following initial therapy. In the second, they occurred at 4 and 21 years. Axillary nodal metastases were found in three of the six patients in whom nodal biopsies were performed. In only one patient were estrogen receptors measured and they were negative. No deaths have been reported in children during a follow-up period ranging from 0 to 22 years (mean 6.5 years). Secretory carcinoma of the breast in this group of patients appears to be a slow growing, locally recurring malignancy. Adults with histologically similar tumors also have a good prognosis. Excisional biopsy is probably inadequate therapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast presenting as areolar dermal lesion

Infiltrating ductal carcinoma is the most common form of invasive breast cancer. It accounts for 80% of all types of breast cancer. We report an unusual presentation of histologically proven case of infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast presented clinically as a small palpable areolar dermal lesion. Well defined hypoechoic cystic lesion in areolar dermis was present on ultrasound with a negative mammogram.     

Micropapillary variant of mucinous breast carcinoma: A distinct subtype

Invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the breast is a subtype with high malignant potential characterized by lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and a predilection for axillary lymph node (AXLN) metastases. In contrast, pure mucinous breast carcinoma (MBC) is relatively indolent with low metastatic potential. Recent studies have described a histologic variant of breast cancer that displays combined mucinous and micropapillary patterns, ie, micropapillary variant of mucinous carcinoma (MpVMBC). This underrecognized variant is, as yet, incompletely characterized clinicopathologically. Extant reports suggest a more aggressive lesion than pure MBC with greater propensity for both LVI and AXLN metastases. Here we present our institution's experience with MpVMBCs including clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical (IHC) analyses. Greater awareness and recognition of this variant could positively contribute to patient care by (1) avoiding underestimation of malignant potential for individuals whose tumors may have been diagnosed as simply “MBC, not otherwise specified”, and (2) recommending a postsurgical adjuvant approach emphasizing the hormone receptor targets, even perhaps in younger women presenting with AXLN positive disease.     

Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology of Metastatic Malignancies and Lymphomas Involving the Breast

Abstract: The fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) findings in 13 cases of metastatic malignancies and lymphomas involving the breast are reported. The pre-FNAC clinical diagnoses in 6 of these cases were benign breast lesions, while in 3 cases the clinical differential diagnosis was either a benign or malignant primary breast lesion versus a metastatic malignancy. In 1 of the 13 cases the pre-FNAC diagnosis was uncertain and suggested a breast carcinoma versus a lymphoma, while in 3 cases the clinical impression was of a primary carcinoma of the breast. The type of neoplasms that were diagnosed by FNAC included 7 non-Hodgkins lymphomas, 3 malignant melanomas, an adenocarci-noma of the ovary, and one each of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and cervix. In all 13 cases the unusual cytologic patterns of the tumors in the aspirates seen on the FNAC examination distinguished the lesion from that of primary breast carcinoma. A reliable FNAC diagnosis of mammary malignancies other than a primary carcinoma is important not only to avoid an unnecessary mastectomy but also to adopt a correct management utilizing an appropriate therapeutic intervention.     

Lymph node axillary metastasis from occult contralateral infiltrating lobular carcinoma arising in accessory breast: MRI diagnosis

We describe a case of right axillary lymph node metastasis of an occult infiltrating lobular carcinoma arising from accessory mammary gland of the left upper anterior chest wall. Ultrasonography and mammography were normal bilaterally. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a 3.34 cm inhomogeneous lesion. Then, core biopsy under ultrasound guidance demonstrated a typical infiltrating breast lobular carcinoma. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported in the literature of an axillary lymph node metastasis from an occult contralateral infiltrating lobular carcinoma of the accessory breast tissue. MRI was useful for assessing the lesion of the accessory breast tissue.