title: Rare types of breast carcinoma.
abstract: Breast cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease that encompasses several distinct entities with remarkably different characteristics. Histological type is one of important BC characteristics. Histological type is associated with differences in epidemiology, diagnostic issues, clinical course, prognosis. When we talk about BC, ductal and lobular carcinoma is usually what we have in mind. However, the other types that comprise less than 10% of BC are also very important. The rarity of many of these neoplasms does not allow large or randomized studies to define the optimal treatment. Many of the descriptions are from case reports and small series. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the data on rare breast cancers, to describe their main characteristics, and to calculate survival rates. We believe that the experience of our institution will contribute to the available data about these rare breast cancers and help in better understanding of this subgroup.
authors.affiliation: Nacional Cancer Institute, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Daiva
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gudaviciene
authors.affiliation: Nacional Cancer Institute, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Steponaviciene
authors.affiliation: National Center of Pathology, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Raimundas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meskauskas
authors.affiliation: Scientific Research Center, Nacional Cancer Institute, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Giedre
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Smailyte
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy and drug therapy center, Nacional Cancer Institute, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Eduardas
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aleknavicius
keywords: Breast cancer; Epithelial breast tumors; Histological type; Rare histological types