Abstract
Metaplastic carcinoma that is classified into the specific type according to “the General Rules for Clinical and Pathological Recording of Breast Cancer” is a rare malignant tumor of the breast. It is believed to resist against anticancer drugs and to carry a poor prognosis. We have experienced a case of breast cancer in which metaplastic component which was not demonstrated by preoperative needle biopsy had remained in the resected specimen.
A 43-year-old woman complaining of a lump in her right breast was diagnosed as having triple negative breast cancer. MRI showed the presence of a solid mass 31 mm in diameter in the right CD area. The pathological diagnosis was invasive ductal carcinoma, solid tubular. The clinical stage was T2N0M0, stage IIA. Sentinel lymph node biopsy performed before preoperative chemotherapy showed metastatic carcinoma from the breast cancer, pN1mic (sn) (1/4). The patient underwent four cycles of docetaxel (75mg/m2) followed by four cycles of fluorouracil (500mg/m2), epirubicin (100mg/m2) and cyclophosphamide (500mg/m2). After the chemotherapy, MRI showed the solid mass to have shrunk to 16 mm in diameter. Partial mastectomy was performed. The residual tumor was 10 × 8 × 8 mm in size. Pathological examination showed metaplastic breast cancer. We report a case of breast cancer in which metaplastic component selectively remained after preoperative chemotherapy though most parts of typical breast cancer disappeared. The patient has been free from recurrence as of 2.5 years after the operaton.
