title: Metaplastic lipid-rich carcinoma of the breast.
abstract: A case of lipid-rich mammary carcinoma identified in a lumpectomy specimen from a 56-year-old female is presented. The tumor showed features of poorly differentiated invasive ductal carcinoma of clear-cell phenotype. Cytoplasmic lucency was mainly accounted for by the accumulation of neutral fat and, to a lesser degree, glycogen. Tinctorial properties included positivity of tumor cells with Sudan III dye and diastase-sensitive periodic acid-Schiff staining. Ultrastructural examination confirmed the presence of abundant cytoplasmic lipid droplets and some glycogen rosettes. On immunohistochemistry, most tumor cells reacted for cytokeratin, vimentin and S-100 protein, and there was focal expression of carcinoembryogenic antigen. A minority of tumor cell nuclei expressed progesterone receptors. As an additional feature, part of the lesion exhibited chondroid metaplasia. Lipid-rich carcinoma of the breast is exceedingly rare and, to our knowledge, no such example harboring metaplastic elements has been described previously.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. susan@pathol.unizh.ch
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Varga
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Robl
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spycher
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Burger
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caduff
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D008679:Metaplasia / Q000473:pathology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids