Abstract
Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast is a heterogeneous neoplasia, generally composed of both epithelial and mesenchymal components. We report an unusual case of mammary metaplastic carcinoma in a 51-year-old female patient. Needle core biopsy from the tumour mass showed malignant epithelial and sarcomatous features. The resection specimen revealed a multi-directional tumour differentiation consisting predominantly of: firstly, a poorly differentiated basaloid epithelial cell type, consistent with an adenoid cystic carcinoma; secondly, areas of a spindle cell carcinoma; and, thirdly, areas with a melanocytic differentiation. This is the first report on a metaplastic carcinoma of the breast presenting as an admixture of an adenoid cystic carcinoma and melanoma.
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Acknowledgments
We gratefully thank Professor V. Eusebi for the evaluation of the tumour tissue. We also thank Mrs. M. Eickmann for the editorial assistance.
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The authors declare that no conflicts of interest exist.
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Noske, A., Schwabe, M., Pahl, S. et al. Report of a metaplastic carcinoma of the breast with multi-directional differentiation: an adenoid cystic carcinoma, a spindle cell carcinoma and melanoma. Virchows Arch 452, 575–579 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-008-0588-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-008-0588-7