• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.76-81
• /
• 2003

Apocrine carcinoma of the breast is a very rare subtype. Although it has no clinical differences from usual ductal carcinoma of the breast, it should be categorized as a subtype of breast carcinoma because the cells of apocrine carcinoma reveal characteristic abundant eosinophillic cytoplasms with intraductal apical snouting as well as round or oval nuclei and central macronucleoli. On fine needle aspiration cytology, the cells of apocrine carcinoma have a lot of similarity to benign or reactive apocrine cells of the breast. Therefore, it is difficult to make a differential diagnosis of apocrine carcinoma from mammary neoplasms with similar cytologic findings unless the subtle cytologic differences are recognized. We report the cytologic and histologic findings of a case of apocrine carcinoma in the breast of a 40-year-old female patient. After the fine needle aspiration cytology, she received the lumpectomy and lymph node dissection. The cellularity was moderate to high. The cytoplasmic borders of tumor cells of three-dimensional clusters were relatively distinctive, and the cytoplasm was abundant, eosinophilic, and granular. Although the nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio was low, the nuclei of the cells were variable in size and shape with prominent macronucleoli. Histologically, it was a typical invasive apocrine carcinoma, showing numerous cytoplasmic lysosomes and mitochondriae on electron microscopy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.2771-2776
• /
• 2014

Background: Breast cancer screening and higher quality mammography have resulted in an increase in the diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ worldwide. We compared the incidence and other factors in our cases of ductal carcinoma in situ between two recent decades. Materials and Methods: Medical records of cases of ductal carcinoma in situ who had been admitted to the surgery wards of the Cancer Institute of Tehran, Iran were evaluated from March 1993 to March 2003 as phase 1, and from April 2003 to April 2013 as phase 2. Results: Ratio of ductal carcinoma in situ to overall breast cancer was 1.27 and 3.93 in phases 1 and 2, respectively. Rates of excisional or incisional biopsies versus core needle biopsies and clinically versus mammographically detected cases as well as median size of tumors dropped between the 2 phases while a substantial rise in the number of patients attending for screening was seen in this time period. Surgical treatments followed a trend from modified radical mastectomy and axillary lymphatic dissection toward breast conserving surgery and sentinel node dissection or no axillary intervention. Conclusions: Our study shows a considerable trend toward earlier detection of breast cancer and evolution of treatment strategies toward standard less invasive surgery of DCIS in Iran.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.67-74
• /
• 1992

Apocrine carcinoma is a rare form of breast malignancy and is composed of entirely or predominantly of apocrine type epithelial cells. Apocrine metaplastic cells are frequently noted in fine needle aspiration cytology(FNAC) of breast lesions, especially fibrocystic disease. These apocrine cells may occasionally be atypical, to make a diagnostic difficulty. Two cases of apocrine carcinoma of the breast diagnosed by FNAC are described, and differential cytologic points between apocrine metaplasia and apocrine carcinoma are discussed. The first case is a right breast mass of a 37-year-old woman for 20 days. The smears show many single or sheets of large cells on bloody background. Each cell has a large vesicular nuclei with multiple macronucleoli and abundant eosinophilic granular cytoplasm. The second case is a left breast mass of a 35-year-old woman for one month. The smears show similar findings as seen in the first one. Histopathologic findings of both cases are typical of apocrine carcinoma. Electron microscopy demonstrates variable numbers of large osmiophilic granules in diameter of $200\sim600nm$ in both cases.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.84-87
• /
• 2002

Tubulolobular carcinoma is a tumor of the breast that shares histoiogic features of both tubular and lobular carcinoma of the breast. The cytologic features of this neoplasm have not been reported in Korea. We described a case of tubulolobular carcinoma diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology in a 46-year-old female. The tumor contained several cytologic features of both tubular and lobuar carcinoma, including tubular structures, single filing of cells, intracytoplasmic vacuoles, and low nuclear grade.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.181-184
• /
• 2015

Background: Breast cancer is the most common female cancer in Kerala, South India, with the incidence increasing in the past two decades, also in young women. However, there are limited data regarding the burden of disease, its epidemiology and histopathological characteristics in the state. Materials and Methods: This desciptive study covered 303 breast cancers evaluated during the period of December 2011 to August 2013 in the Department of Pathology, Government Medical College, Kottayam.The patients were also interviewed regarding selected risk factors. Results: The majority of the cases were 41-60 years of age with a mean at presentation of 53 years. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma was the most common subtype, followed by pure mucinous carcinoma and then lobular carcinoma. Of the cases, 6.6% were nullipara and 52.8% had fewer than or equal to 2 children. Median age at first child birth was 23 years (national value-19.8 years). A significant proportion (15%) had family history of breast cancer. Some 13.5%(41 cases) comprised the young breast cancer group (${\leq}40$years) with a mean age at first child birth in them was 27.4 years, 5 being nullipara and 6 having a positive family history. Conclusions: Breast cancer awareness, better availability of screening techniques and identification and targeting high risk groups all help to tackle the increasing load of breast carcinoma. A good proportion of cases comprised the young breast cancer group (under 40). Younger women should thus also be educated about breast carcinoma-risk factors, symptoms and diagnostic techniques to help in early detection and effective approach esto treatment.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.17 no.8
• /
• pp.3733-3736
• /
• 2016

HER2/neu is a well-established prognostic and predictive factor for invasive breast cancer. However, the role of HER2/neu in ductal breast carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is debated and recent data have suggested that it is mainly linked to in situ local recurrence. Although molecular data suggest that atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) and duct carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are related lesions, albeit with vastly different clinical implications, the role of HER2/neu expression in atypical ductal hyperplasia is not well defined either. The aim of this study was to evaluate over expression of HER2/neu in DCIS and cases of ADH in comparison with invasive breast carcinoma. Archival primary breast carcinoma paraffin blocks (n=15), DCIS only (n=10) and ductal epithelial hyperplasia and other breast benign lesions (n=25) were analyzed for HER2/neu immunoexpression. Follow up was available for 40% of the patients. HER2/neu was positive in 80%of both DCIS and invasive carcinoma, and 67% of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) cases. Thus at least a subset of patients with preinvasive breast lesions were positive, which strongly suggests a role for Her2/neu in identifying high-risk patients for malignant transformation. Although these are preliminary data, which need further studies of gene amplification within these patients as well as a larger patient cohort with longer periods of follow up, they support the implementation of routine Her2/neu testing in patients diagnosed as pure DCIS and in florid ADH.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.9
• /
• pp.4445-4452
• /
• 2012

Background: Prognosis of breast cancer depends on classic pathological factors and also tumor angiogenesis. This study aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological factors of breast cancer in a tertiary centre with a focus on the relationship between tumor angiogenesis and clinicopathological factors. Methods: Clinicopathological data were retrieved from the archived formal pathology reports for surgical specimens diagnosed as invasive ductal carcinoma, NOS. Microvessels were immunohistochemically stained with anti-CD34 antibody and quantified as microvessel density. Results: At least 50% of 94 cases of invasive breast ductal carcinoma in the study were advanced stage. The majority had poor prognosis factors such as tumor size larger than 50mm (48.9%), positive lymph node metastasis (60.6%), and tumor grade III (52.1%). Higher percentages of estrogen and progesterone receptor negative cases were recorded (46.8% and 46.8% respectively). Her-2 overexpression cases and triple negative breast cancers constituted 24.5% and 22.3% respectively. Significantly higher microvessel density was observed in the younger patient age group (p=0.012). There were no significant associations between microvessel density and other clinicopathological factors (p>0.05). Conclusions: Majority of the breast cancer patients of this institution had advanced stage disease with poorer prognostic factors as compared to other local and western studies. Breast cancer in younger patients might be more proangiogenic.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.17
• /
• pp.7491-7496
• /
• 2015

Background: Biomarkers in breast neoplasms provide invaluable information regarding prognosis and help determining the optimal treatment. We investigated the possible correlation between cancer stem cell (CSC) markers (CD133, and ALDH1) in invasive ductal breast carcinomas with some clinicopathological parameters. Aim: To assess the correlation between expression of cancer stem cell (CSC) markers (CD133, and ALDH1) and clinicopathological parameters of invasive ductal breast carcinomas. Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemical analysis of CD133 and ALDH1 was performed on a series of 120 modified radical mastectomy (MRM) specimens diagnosed as invasive ductal breast carcinoma. Results: Expression of both CD133 and ALDH1 was significantly changed and related to tumor size, tumor stage (TNM), and lymph node metastasis. A negative correlation between CD133 and ALDH1 was found. Conclusions: Detecting the expression of CD133 and ALDH1 in invasive ductal breast carcinomas may be of help in more accurately predicting the aggressive properties and determining the optimal treatment.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.75-78
• /
• 1996

We experienced a case of infiltrating lobular carcinoma of the breast in the ascitic fluid. The patient was a 49 year-old woman who presented with a palable mass of 3 months duration in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen and abdominal distension. Five years ago, she had undergone left radical mastectomy with chemotherapy and radiotherapy for infiltrating lobular carcinoma of the breast. The ascitic fluid smears revealed singly scattered small round to elliptical cells, many of which were arranged in characteristic indian-file patterns consisting of 3 to 5 cells. The tumor cells had scanty cytoplasm, rare cytoplasmic vacuoles and marked chromatin clumping with small, but prominent nucleoli.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.237-240
• /
• 2015

Breast hamartomas are typically a benign condition and rarely develop into malignant lesions. The coexistence of carcinoma and a breast hamartoma is rare; only 15 cases have been reported in the literature. Here, we report a case of invasive ductal carcinoma associated with hamartoma in a 60-year-old woman. Mammography, ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging showed typical features of a breast hamartoma and a suspicious mass with microcalcifications arising within the hamartoma.