title: Primary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the breast, a case report with an unusual clinical course.
abstract: Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the breast (NECB) is an extremely rare type of breast cancer; little is known about effective chemotherapies, and data on pathologic response to treatment are unavailable. We report the case of a 34-years-old woman with large cell NECB with initial clinical and pathologic evidence of treatment response to anthracycline-containing neo-adjuvant therapy. Histologic reassessment early during anthracycline chemotherapy revealed cell death with necrosis of 50% of the tumor cells seen in the biopsy specimen. After completing neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, the patient underwent breast-conserving surgery. Pathologic evaluation of the surgical specimen showed a partial response but margins were positive for residual carcinoma. Despite repeated neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical resection, the tumor grew rapidly between surgeries and recurred systemically. Therefore, we review the literature on large cell NECB and its treatment options.
authors.affiliation: New York University Cancer Institute, NYU School of Medicine, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Maxwell
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Janosky
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bian
authors.forename: Shubhada
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dhage
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Silverman
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jors
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moy
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cangiarella
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Muggia
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D018278:Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy
keywords: adjuvant; breast cancer; large cell; neuroendocrine; treatment