title: CD34+ fibrocytes are preserved in most invasive lobular carcinomas of the breast.
abstract: It is generally agreed that invasive carcinomas of the breast consistently lack stromal CD34+ fibrocytes. The pertinent literature shows that this assumption is well based for invasive ductal carcinomas, but evidence of loss of stromal CD34+ cells in lobular carcinomas is weak. We present a series of 22 invasive lobular carcinomas (ILCs) which, in contrast to invasive ductal carcinomas, display a gradual reduction of stromal CD34+ fibrocytes. One third of the study population showed a completely preserved population of CD34+ fibrocytes, in another third, this cell population was reduced in comparison to normal breast tissue, and in the remaining third, loss of CD34+ fibrocytes comparable to that occurring in virtually all invasive ductal carcinomas was found. The present study shows that loss of CD34+ fibrocytes is not a consistent feature of invasive carcinomas of the breast. Therefore, a preserved CD34+ stromal cell population does not exclude malignancy, and analysis of the stromal CD34 expression should be handled with care when used as a diagnostic tool.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg GmbH, Baldingerstrasse, 35033 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Schokufe
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ebrahimsade
authors.forename: Christina C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Westhoff
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Barth
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000032:analysis; D000368:Aged; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000032:analysis*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D018952:Antigens, CD34