Tubular Carcinoma of the Breast : Study of the Clinicopathologic Findings and Ultrasonographic, including Contrast-enhanced Ultrasonographic, Findings of Eleven Patients

Abstract

Tubular carcinoma of the breast is a rare and specific type of invasive ductal carcinoma, accounting for approximately 1% of all breast cancers. We examined 11 patients with the pure-type tubular carcinoma of the breast in our hospital. Their ultrasonographic findings, including contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic findings, and clinicopathologic findings were examined. Ultrasonography showed a hypoechoic mass of irregular shape in all the patients. Color Doppler ultrasonography revealed vascular lesions in all the patients. Nine of the patients showed elasticity scores of 3 or 4 on elastography. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography was performed in five patients ; it revealed diffuse or heterogeneous enhancement, and in 2 patients, the enhancing area was larger than the original tumor size. On histopathological examination, the tumor size was 10 mm or less in diameter and the nuclear grade was grade 1 in all the patients. Only one patient with lobular carcinoma showed micrometastasis in the axillary lymph nodes. ER expression was positive in all patients and PgR expression was positive in 10 patients, while HER2 expression was negative in all patients. The Ki67 index was under 20% in all the patients. In conclusion, tubular carcinoma is suspected to have low malignant potential.