title: Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast, an unusual disease with worse prognosis: the experience of the European Institute of Oncology and review of the literature.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast is a rare form of breast cancer and has an uncertain prognostic significance. The purpose of the present study was to compare the clinical course, and prognosis, between this type of tumor and poorly differentiated ductal carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed 37 cases of metaplastic carcinoma of the breast treated at our institution (European Institute of Oncology in Milan, Italy) between 1997 and 2004, comparing them with 72 cases (control group) of poorly differentiated ductal carcinoma. All 109 patients had negative receptors and were G3 at final histology. The control cases were matched according to year of surgery, pT (pT1 vs. pT2/3/4), and pN (absent vs. present).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 37 patients, eleven died from disease progression, eight developed metastatic disease and two experienced local recurrence. In the control group (72 patients) we observed three deaths due to disease progression, 13 distant metastases, and two local recurrences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The overall survival in the metaplastic carcinoma group was significantly worse than in the control group. As regards to disease-free survival, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups.
authors.affiliation: Division of Breast Surgery, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy. alberto.luini@ieo.it
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Luini
authors.forename: Marisel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aguilar
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gatti
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fasani
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Botteri
authors.forename: Jack Antonio Diaz
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Brito
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maisonneuve
authors.forename: Anna Rita
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Vento
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Viale
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008408:Mastectomy; D008679:Metaplasia / Q000401:mortality; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D044465:White People