Pleomorphic carcinoma of the breast in a 17-year-old woman

Med Mol Morphol. 2010 Mar;43(1):43-7. doi: 10.1007/s00795-009-0468-5. Epub 2010 Mar 26.

Abstract

We report a 17-year-old woman with refractory high-grade breast cancer who died early after surgery, with reference to the histogenesis of the cancer. Macroscopically, the tumor was cystic, composed of a mixture of solid and myxomatous areas. Histologically, the tumor exhibited ductal structures and areas with squamoid features. Cancer cells were markedly atypical and polymorphic, and included a mixture of bizarre and eosinophilic cells with rhabdoid feature-like free cells. Immunohistochemically, cytokeratin (CK) 8, CK 18, 34 beta E12, CD10, involucrin, CK14, and vimentin were partially positive, whereas estrogen and progesterone receptors and HER-2 were negative. These findings suggest an undifferentiated cancer whose cells have multilineage potential to differentiate into mesenchymal, basal, and squamoid cells, and it was diagnosed as pleomorphic carcinoma, which is a histological type hitherto unreported in young girls. The cancer was refractory to treatment, and the patient died 1 year and 5 months after surgery despite chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Breast Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / diagnosis*
  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / pathology
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Myoepithelioma / diagnosis*
  • Myoepithelioma / pathology
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Rhabdoid Tumor / diagnosis*
  • Rhabdoid Tumor / pathology