Abstract
This is the first documented report of a case of histiocytoid breast carcinoma in Japan. The patient was a 55-year-old woman with a right breast lump. An excisional biopsy revealed proliferation of histiocyte-like cells with slightly atypical nuclei within fibrous stroma. In places, tumor cells showed an invasive pattern similar to that in invasive lobular carcinoma including a targetoid pattern, as well as a focus of in situ lobular carcinoma with transition to the histiocytoid cells. Immunohistochemical stainings of the tumor cells demonstrated positive reactions for cytokeratins and epithelial membrane antigen. Gross cystic disease fluid protein 15, an apocrine marker, was almost uniformly positive in their cytoplasm.
From these results, we supposed that histiocytoid breast carcinoma is a variant of invasive lobular carcinoma. Histiocytoid breast carcinoma is easily misdiagnosed as a benign lesion such as granular cell tumor or xanthoma. Points of differential diagnosis were described and we stressed that it is most important for pathologists to keep this variant in mind in order to avoid misdiagnosis.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- ABC:
-
Aspiration biopsy cytology
- ICL:
-
Intracytoplasmic luminae
- LSAB:
-
Labeled streptavidin-biotin complex
- EMA:
-
Epithelial membrane antigen
- GCDFP-15:
-
Gross cystic disease fluid protein 15
References
Hood CI, Font RL, Zimmerman LE: Metastatic mammary carcinoma in the eyelid with histiocytoid appearance.Cancer 31:793–800, 1973.
Eisenberg BL, Bagnall JW, Harding CT: Histiocytoid carcinoma; A variant of breast cancer.J Surg Oncol 31:271–274, 1986.
World Health Organization: International Histological Classification of Tumors, No. 2; Histological Typing of Breast Tumors, 2nd ed, 1981.
Japanese Breast Cancer Society: The general rules for clinical and pathological recording of breast cancer.Jpn J Surg 19:612–632, 1989.
Dabski K, Milgrom H, Stoll HL: Breast carcinoma metastatic to the eyelids; Case report and review of the literature.J Surg Oncol 29:233–236, 1985.
Walford N, Velden JT: Histiocytoid breast carcinoma; An apocrine variant of lobular carcinoma.Histopathology 14:515–522, 1989.
Azzopardi JG: Problems in breast pathology. In: Major Problems in Pathology series, vol. 11, WB Saunders, Philadelphia, pp301–305, 1979.
Filotico M, Trabucco M, Gallone D,et al: Histiocytoid carcinoma of the breast; A problem of differential diagnosis for the pathologist; Report of a case.Pathologica 75:429–433, 1983.
Senatore S, Trabucco M, Gallone D,et al: Metastatic histiocytoid carcinoma of the breast; Immunocyto-chemical report of a case.Pathologica 78:71–78, 1986.
Mazoujian G, Pinkus GS, Davis S,et al: Immunohistochemistry of a gross cystic disease fluid protein (GCDFP-15) of the breast.Am J Pathol 110:105–112, 1983.
Eusebi V, Foschini MP, Bussolati G,et al: Myoblastomatoid (Histiocytoid) carcinoma of the breast; A type of apocrine carcinoma.Am J Surg Pathol 19:553- 562, 1995.
Mossler JA, Barton TK, Brinkhous AD,et al: Apocrine differentiation in human mammary carcinoma.Cancer 46:2463–2471, 1980.
Dixon JM, Anderson TJ, Page DL,et al: Infiltrating lobular carcinoma of the breast.Histopathology 6:149- 161, 1982.
Eusebi V, Magalhaes F, Azzopardi JG: Pleomorphic lobular carcinoma of the breast; An aggressive tumor showing apocrine differentiation.Human Pathol 23: 655–662, 1992.
Nakamura T, Imai H, Watanabe M,et al: Report of a case of pleomorphic lobular carcinoma of the breast.J Jpn Soc Clin Cytol 34:58–62, 1995 (in Japanese with English summary).
Eusebi V, Betts C, Haagensen DE Jr,et al: Apocrine differentiation in lobular carcinoma of the breast; A morphologic, immunologic, and ultrastructural study.Human Pathol 15:134–140, 1984.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Kitamura, H., Kitamura, H., Shimizu, S. et al. Histiocytoid breast carcinoma: a case report with immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies. Breast Cancer 3, 57–63 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02966964
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02966964