TITLE:
Clinicopathological Study of Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Breast
AUTHORS:
Masahiro Kitada, Shunsuke Yasuda, Masahiro Abe, Nana Takahashi, Satoshi Okazaki, Kei Ishibashi, Satoshi Hayashi
KEYWORDS:
Breast Cancer, Neuroendocrine Carcinoma
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Cancer Therapy,
Vol.8 No.8,
August
23,
2017
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) occurs mostly in the digestive organs,
such as the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract, and the lungs. Primary NEC of the breast is a
rare entity. There are not many studies on this disease, and this study was
carried out in order to know the clinical pathology of this disease. Methods:
Of 2354 patients who underwent surgery for breast cancer in our hospital during
the period from January 2000 to July 2015, 8 (0.34%) were pathologically
diagnosed with NEC of the breast. This study is retrospectively registered. Result:
The histological types were small cell carcinoma in one patient and invasive
ductal carcinoma (IDC) with
neuroendocrine differentiation in the remaining 7. The mean patient age was
slightly higher than that of patients with usual IDC. On pathological
examination, the NEC tumors were more hormone dependent and often HER2 negative, as compared to
usual IDC, though there was no significant difference in nuclear grade. The
patients with NEC of the breast showed positivity for neuroendocrine markers on
immunohistological staining, and had favorable outcomes. Conclusion: NEC
of the breast is rare, and there is no established consensus regarding the pathological
significance, prognosis, and treatment method. Further accumulation of cases is
necessary.