Apocrine carcinoma of the male breast—A case report—

Abstract

Background : We report a case of apocrine carcinoma, a relatively rare histological breast cancer type, that shows intracystic male breast growth.
Case : An 83-year-old man noticing a right-breast mass was found in ultrasonography to have a cystic lesion with a solid component. Cytological specimens were taken from mastectomy material by needle puncture from both cystic and solid tumor components. The cystic component contained sheet-like clusters of cells with round nuclei, prominent nucleoli, and abundant vacuolated cytoplasm in a background of scattered foamy histiocyte-like epithelial cells. The solid component contained cohesive clusters of atypical cells showing apocrine features such as large acidophilic granular cystoplasm and snout-like projections. The cytological diagnosis was apocrine carcinoma.
Conclusion : Apocrine features in breast cytology are usually findings of mastopathy but the possibility of apocrine carcinoma should be considered when loose cohesive clusters of apocrine cells and vacuolated cells having round nuclei and thick cytoplasms are found in cytological specimens.