Breast cancer with choriocarcinomatous and neuroendocrine features.
BACKGROUND
Breast cancer may express the presence of b-human chorionic gonadotrophin in 12% to 18% of cases, using immunohistochemical reactions. Usually the tumors will show positivity in a few scattered cells. Breast cancer with choriocarcinomatous features, as reported by Saigo and Rosen, is a distinct variant of breast cancer. We report a case of breast cancer with choriocarcinomatous and neuroendocrine features.


OBJECTIVE
This is a case report of an invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast with choriocarcinomatous and neuroendocrine features.


METHODS
Case Report.


METHODS
A 50-year-old Brazilian woman underwent surgery for a lump in the right breast, which had been first noticed about 3 months earlier. The surgery consisted of quadrantectomy followed by right mastectomy with ipsilateral axillary lymph node dissection. The specimen from the quadrantectomy revealed a 7 x 6.5 x 4.5 cm tumor. Histology of the lesion showed the presence of an invasive ductal carcinoma with areas of giant cells and intense atypia. The immunohistochemistry was positive in the pleomorphic areas for human chorionic gonadotrophin, while the less pleomorphic areas showed positivity for synaptophysin and chromogranin.
Giannotti Filho
O
O
Department of Pathology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil. giannotti@patologia.epm.br
Miiji
L N
LN
Vainchenker
M
M
Gordan
A N
AN
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D002822:Choriocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000032:analysis; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human