title: Chordoma metastatic to the breast diagnosed by fine needle aspiration. A case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Metastatic breast tumors are rare but need differentiation from primary malignant and even benign tumors of the breast to ensure appropriate treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 51-year-old female with chordoma developed a lump in the breast 3.5 years after the primary diagnosis. Fine needle aspiration of the lump showed classic physaliferous cells with a bubbly appearance and anaplastic cells in a magenta, fibrillary background.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of classic physaliferous cells on fine needle aspiration is diagnostic of chordoma, even in metastatic lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Medical Oncology and Radiotherapy, Mohan Dai Oswal Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation, Ludhiana, India.
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arora
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vashistha
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D002817:Chordoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010386:Pelvic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*