Spontaneous " healing" of breast cancer.
BACKGROUND
Healing is a phenomenon by which the intraductal component of breast cancer disappears and is replaced by fibrous tissue. Focally localized healing often prevents confirmation of the continuity of intraductal carcinoma.


OBJECTIVE
To clarify the clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer with healing.


METHODS
At our hospital, 308 patients (311 breasts) underwent breast conservation therapy without neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer in 2000. These surgical specimens were histopathologically investigated with 5 mm serial sections. We assessed the proportion and the characteristics of breast cancer with healing.


RESULTS
(1) The proportion of breast cancer with healing was 7% (21/311). (2) In the 21 patients, the mean age was 59.2 years, and the mean diameter was 2.8 cm. (3) The histological type of the breast cancer varied: noninvasive ductal carcinoma in 2 cases, papillotubular carcinoma in 5, solid-tubular carcinoma in 8, scirrhous carcinoma in 5, invasive lobular carcinoma in 1, and Paget's disease in 1. However in all cases, the histologic type of the intraductal carcinoma foci was the comedo/solid type and the nuclear grade of cancer cells was high. (4) In cases with healing, areas of healing were seen in an average of 5 (1-26) blocks, compared with intraductal carcinoma foci in 13 blocks (2-40). Healing was located on the nipple side of the main lesion in 8 cases, the peripheral side in 9, and both sides in 4. In 3 cases, healing was seen at the surgical margin of the partial mastectomy specimen.


CONCLUSIONS
The proportion of breast cancer cases with healing was 7% and these cases were intraductal carcinoma of the comedo/solid type, consisting of highly malignant cancer cells.
Horii
Rie
R
Department of Breast Pathology, the Cancer Institute of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-10-6, Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550, Japan. rie.horii@jfcr.or.jp
Akiyama
Futoshi
F
Kasumi
Fujio
F
Koike
Morio
M
Sakamoto
Goi
G
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001940:Breast / Q000473:pathology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D008875:Middle Aged; D009365:Neoplasm Regression, Spontaneous / Q000473:pathology*