A case of matrix-producing carcinoma of the breast

Abstract

A 51-year-old woman visited our hospital because of a palpable mass in the right breast. Mammography showed an ill-defined dense mass, and power Doppler ultrasonography (US) demonstrated a well-defined heterogeneous tumor with vascularity. T2-weighted MRI showed a mass with high signal intensity in the right breast. Post-contrast T1-weighted MRI revealed a rim enhancement. These MRI findings are suggestive of breast carcinoma with massive central necrosis or matrix-producing carcinoma. The tumor was diagnosed as matrix-producing carcinoma by core needle biopsy. On the basis of the pathologic-ultrasonographic correlation, heterogeneous echo patterns in the tumor corresponded to the myxomatous matrix with various amounts of cancer cells. US is thought to be useful for understanding the histological internal structures of this rare tumor.