Skip to main content

Metaplastic Breast Carcinoma: Detection Using Histology and Immunohistochemistry

  • Chapter
Methods of Cancer Diagnosis, Therapy and Prognosis

Part of the book series: Methods of Cancer Diagnosis, Therapy and Prognosis ((HAYAT,volume 1))

Metaplastic breast carcinoma represents a group of rare diseases deviating from each other not only in their morphological appearance, but also in their prognosis. In addition to the routine histological analysis, immunohistochemistry plays a crucial role in delineating these tumors from usual breast carcinomas and sarcomas, in subtyping of these tumors into different prognostic categories and in the prediction of their response to individual therapy. Despite the wide variety of microscopic morphology of the lesions that are actually classified as metaplastic breast carcinoma, histological subtyping and grading separate properly patients with low-risk tumors adequately treated with wide surgical excision only and high-risk tumors requiring adjuvant therapy. Immunohistochemical receptor analysis shows presence or absence of therapeutic target molecules, and therefore is essential for adequate therapy planning.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 309.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 399.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 449.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adem, C., Reynolds, C., Adlakha, H., Roche, P.C., and Nascimento, A.G. 2002. Wide spectrum screening keratin as a marker of metaplastic spindle cell carcinoma of the breast. An immunohis-tochemical study of 24 patients. Histopathology 40: 556–562

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes, P.J., Boutilier, R., Chiasson, D., R., and Rayson, D. 2005. Metaplastic breast carcinoma: clinical-pathologic characteristics and HER2/ neu expression. Breast Cancer Res. Treat. 91: 173–178

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bartek, J., Bartkova, J., and Taylor-Papadimitriu, J. 1990. Keratin 19 expression in the adult and developing human mammary gland. Histochem. J. 22: 537–544

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Boecker, W., and Burger, H. 2003. Evidence of progenitor cells of glandular and myoepithelial cell lineages in the human adult female breast epithelium: a new progenitor (adult stem) cell concept. Cell Prolif. 1. (suppl 36): 73–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bryan, B.B., Schnitt, S.J., and Collins, L.C.2006. Ductal carcinoma in situ with basal-like phenotype: a possible precursor to invasive basal-like breast cancer. Mod. Pathol. 19: 617–621

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carter, M.R., Hornick, J.L., Lester, S., and Fletcher C.D.M. 2006. Spindle cell (sarcomatoid) carcinoma of the breast. A clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical analysis of 29 cases. Am. J. Surg. Pathol. 30: 300–309

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, W.G., Hennessy, B., Babiera, G. Hunt, K., Valero, V. , Buchholz, T.A., Sniege, N., and Gilcrease, M.Z. 2005. Metaplastic sarcomatoid carcinoma of the breast with absent or minimal overt invasive carcinomatous component. Am. J. Surg. Pathol. 29: 1456–1463

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson, G.R., Qian, D., Ku, J.K., and Lai, L.L. 2005. Metaplastic breast cancer: clinical features and outcomes. Am. Surg. 71: 725–730

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grenier, J., Soria, J.C., Mathieu, M.C., Andre, F., Abdelmoula, S., Velasco, V., Morat, L., Besse, B., Dunant, A., Spielmann, M., and Delaloge, S. 2007. Differential immunohistochemical and biological profile of squamous cell carcinoma of the breast. Anticancer Res. 27: 547–555

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gunham-Bilgen, I., Memis, A., Ustun, E.E., Zekioglu, O., and Ozdemir, N. 2002. Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast: clinical, mammographic, and sonographic findings with histological correlation. Am. J. Roentgenol. 178: 1421–1425

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayat, M.A. (Ed.). 2004–2006. Immunohist-ochemistry and In Situ Hybridization of Human Carcinomas, Vols 1–4. Elsevier, San Diego, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Huvos, A.G., Lucas, J.C., and Foot, F.W. Jr. 1973. Metaplastic breast carcinoma. Rare form of mammary cancer. N. Y. State J. Med. 73: 1078–1082

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, P.A., Merchant, W., McCormick, C.J., and Cook, M.G. 1994. A comparison of large block macrosectioning and conventional techniques in breast pathology. Virchows Arch. 425: 243–248

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jolicoeur, F., Gaboury, L.A., and Oligny, L.L. 2003. Basal cells of second trimester fetal breasts: immunohistochemical study of myoepithelial precursors. Pediatr. Dev. Pathol. 6: 398–413

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koker, N.M., and Kleer, C.,G. 2004. p63 expression in breast cancer: a highly sensitive and specific marker of metaplastic carcinoma. Am. J. Surg. Pathol. 28: 1506–1512

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leibl, S., and Moinfar, F. 2005. Metaplastic breast carcinomas are negative for Her-2 but frequently express EGFR (Her-1): potential relevance to adjuvant treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors? J. Clin. Pathol. 58: 700–704

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moll, R., Franke, W.W., Schiller, D.L. Geiger, B., and Krepler, R. 1982. The catalogue of Human cytokeratins: patterns of expression in human epithelia, tumors and cultured cells. Cell 31: 11–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliver, R.L. 1940. Metaplasia in the breast. Arch. Surg. 41: 714–722

    Google Scholar 

  • Pezzi, C.M., Patel-Parekh, L., Cole, K., Franko, J., Klimberg, V.S., and Bland K. 2007. Characteristics and treatment of metaplastic breast cancer: analysis of 892 cases from the National Cancer Data Base. Ann. Surg. Oncol. 14: 166–173

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rakha, E.A., El-Sayed, M.E., Green, A.R., Paish, E.C., Lee, A.H., and Ellis, E.O. 2007. Breast carcinoma with basal differentiation: a proposal for pathology definition based on basal cytokeratin expression. Histopathology 50: 434–438

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reis-Filho, J.S., Milanezi. F., Paredes, J., Silva, P., Pereira, E.M., Maeda, S.A., de Carvalho, L.V., and Schmitt, F.C. 2003. Novel and classic myoepithelial/stem cell markers in meta-plastic carcinokmas of the breast. Appl. Immunohistochem. Mol. Morphol. 11: 1–8

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reis-Filho, J.S., Milanezi, F., Carvalho, S., Simpson, P.T., Steele, D., Savage, K., Lambros, M.B., Pereira, E.M., Nesland, J.M., Lakhani, S.R., and Schmitt, F.C. 2005. Metaplastic breast carcinomas exhibit EGFR, but not HER2, gene amplification and overexpression: immunohisto-chemical and chromogenic in situ hybridization analysis. Breast Cancer Res. 7: R1028–R1035

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reis-Filho, J.S., Milanezi, F., Steele, D., Savage, K., Simpson, P.T., Nesland, J.M, Pereira, E.M., Lakhani, S.R., and Schmitt, F.C. 2006. Mataplastic breast carcinomas are basal-like tumors. Histopathology 49: 10–21

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Savage, K., Lambros, M.B., Robertson, D., Jones, R.L., Jones, C., Mackay, A., James M., Hornick, J.L., Pereira, E.M., Milanezi, F., Fletcher, C.D., Schmitt, F.C., Ashworth, A., and Resi-Filho, J.S. 2007. Caveolin 1 is overexpressed and amplified in a subset of basal-like and metaplastic breast carcinomas: a morphologic, ultrastructural, immunohistochemical, and in situ hybridization analysis. Clin. Cancer Res. 13: 90–101

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tavassoli, F.A., and Devilee, P. (Eds.). 2003. World Health Organization Classification of Tumours. Pathology & Genetics. Tumors of the Breast and Female Genital Organs. IARC Press, Lyon, France. pp. 37–41

    Google Scholar 

  • Tot, T. 2002. Cytokeratins 20 and 7 as biomark-ers: usefulness in discriminating primary from metastatic adenocarcinomas. Eur. J. Cancer. 38: 758–763

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tot, T. 2005. Colorectal Tumors. Atlas of Large Section Histopathology. Thieme, Stuttgart — New York. pp. 129–144

    Google Scholar 

  • Tot, T. 2006. Eccrine ductal and acrosyringeal differentiation of the breast epithelium — a lesion associated with some metaplastic breast carcinomas. Virchows Arch. 449: 565–51

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tot, T., Tabár, L., and Dean, P.B. 2002. Practical Breast Pathology. Thieme, Stuttgart/New York. pp. 115–123

    Google Scholar 

  • Tse, G.M., Tam, P.H., Putti, T.C., Lui, P.C., Chaiwun, B., and Law, B.K. 2006. Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast: a clinicopathological review. J. Clin. Pathol. 59: 1079–1083

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhuang, Z., Lininger, R.A., Man, Y.G., Albuquerque, A., Merino, M.J., and Tavassoli, F.A. 1997. Identical clonality of both components in mammary carcinosarcomas with differential loss of heterozygosity. Mod. Pathol. 10: 354–362

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2008 Springer Science + Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Tot, T. (2008). Metaplastic Breast Carcinoma: Detection Using Histology and Immunohistochemistry. In: Hayat, M.A. (eds) Methods of Cancer Diagnosis, Therapy and Prognosis. Methods of Cancer Diagnosis, Therapy and Prognosis, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8369-3_21

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8369-3_21

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-8368-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-8369-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics