title: Clinicocytopathology of breast cancers with a ring-like appearance on ultrasonography and/or magnetic resonance imaging.
abstract: On breast cancer imaging some cancers have an anechoic or high-echoic zone in the tumor on ultrasonography and ring-shaped enhancement on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with high intensity in the central area of the tumor on T2-weighted imaging, necessitating their differentiation from benign disease. Thus, nine breast cancers with a ring-like appearance on imaging were analyzed on cytopathology. Histologically the cancer cells of these lesions showing a ring-like appearance were located in the periphery of the tumor, with a central hypocellular zone. Five such lesions with a thick, doughnut-like appearance were identified as cancers with acellular zones (CAC), and four lesions with a thinner, rim-like appearance as matrix-producing carcinomas (MPC). The percentage ratio of the cancer-zone width to the tumor diameter was 26.4 +/- 7.8 and 8.0 +/- 3.2 (mean +/- SD), respectively (P= 0.003). Cytologically, highly atypical, naked-nucleus cells were observed in eight of the nine cancers. In two MPC and three CAC, cartilage matrix and amorphous material, respectively, were observed in the background. In summary, the present series of breast cancers having a ring appearance on imaging did not have uniform cytopathological features. They were classified as MPC or CAC, and cytology was useful in their diagnosis and differentiation in some cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Kurume University Medical Center, Kurume 830-0011, Japan. rin@med.kurume-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Rin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Toshiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Yasuhide
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nonaka
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nonaka
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Terasaki
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukunaga
authors.forename: Uhi
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Toh
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kage
authors.forename: Hirohisa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yano
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018267:Carcinoma, Acinar Cell / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D016217:Ultrasonography, Mammary