Rare Breast Malignancy Subtypes: A Cytological, Histological, and Immunohistochemical Correlation

Abstract

Background: Breast malignancies encompass various subtypes which differ in their clinical presentations, outcomes, and response to the treatment regimens. Thus, a proper histological diagnosis and a special mention of the rare histologic subtypes are required to formulate clear recommendations of their treatment protocols. Materials and Methods: This is a 1-year retrospective study highlighting the rarely encountered subtypes on the mastectomy specimens received. Results: We encountered only 11 rare cases out of the total 153 mastectomy specimens received. The rare subtypes were as follows mucinous cystadenocarcinoma (0.6%), mucinous carcinoma (0.6%), dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (0.6%), Squamous cell carcinoma (0.6%), papillary carcinoma (2.6%), medullary carcinoma (0.6%), and malignant mesenchymal tumor (1.3%). Conclusion: Our data suggest that these variants are distinct clinicopathological entities with a unique hormonal receptor status. Scant information is available on the rare breast tumor subtypes.