Metaplastic breast carcinoma: an overview of the radio-pathologic features in retrospective cohort tertiary hospital

Abstract

Abstract Background Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare type of breast carcinoma. It accounts for 0.2–1% of all invasive breast carcinoma. The aim of this study is to investigate the radiological features of this tumor and correlate them with the pathological findings. Results Of the 22 patients with pathology-proven metaplastic cancers, 18 patients (81.82%) presented with a palpable mass. The majority of the mammogram findings were masses with irregular shapes (n = 12, 63.16%) and indistinct margins (n = 11, 57.89%). Similarly, the majority of the ultrasound studies showed masses with irregular shapes (n = 16, 72.73%) and indistinct margins (n = 8, 36.36%). Most of the echopatterns were complex or with heterogeneous textures, each presented in eight cases (36.36%). More than half of the cases had a posterior acoustic enhancement (n = 12, 54.55%). Most of the cases tested negative for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and HER2 protein, and they were high-grade tumors with a high proliferative index (Ki-67%) of > 15%. Conclusion MBC is a rare and distinct aggressive breast cancer with no definite characteristic imaging compared to other breast cancer. It shows a mass with irregular shape and indistinct margins in both mammogram and ultrasound. Additionally, it reveals posterior acoustic enhancement and rarely contains microcalcifications. The correlation with the pathological findings is crucial for the diagnosis and subsequent appropriate treatment.

Keywords

• Metaplastic breast carcinoma
• Imaging
• Pathology
• Clinical
• Prognosis