Primary Mucinous Cystadenocarcinoma of the Breast Intermixed with Pleomorphic Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: The First Report of This Rare Association

Abstract

Primary mucinous cystadenocarcinoma (MCA) is a rare breast carcinoma subtype showing overlapping histopathological features with mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the ovary and pancreas. Current literature data suggest a favorable prognosis of breast MCAs despite its immunoprofile usually revealing lack of expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and HER-2 and high Ki67. As far as we know, only 36 cases have been reported in the literature to date. Its ambiguous morpho-phenotypic profile makes histological diagnosis very challenging. It must be distinguished from typical mucin-producing breast carcinomas and, above all, metastases from the same histotype in other sites (ovary, pancreas, appendix). Herein, we report the case of a primary breast MCA occurring in a 41-year-old female with peculiar histological features.

Keywords

• breast cancer
• mucinous cystoadenocarcinoma
• lobular carcinoma
• mucinous carcinoma
• immunohistochemistry
• molecular landscape