Clinicopathologic characteristics of pleomorphic carcinoma of the breast

Pleomorphic carcinoma of the breast is considered a rare variant of high-grade ductal NOS carcinoma (NOS-IDC), and the prognosis is poor. However, its clinicopathologic features are not well-characterized. Using the criteria delineated in the World Health Organization breast tumor classification of 2003, ten cases of pleomorphic carcinoma were identified from 9794 NOS-IDC in our archived materials that were originally diagnosed as high-grade infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast. To investigate the clinicopathologic characteristics and to elucidate the histologic diagnosis and differential diagnosis of this entity, we reviewed the pathology manifestations and clinical features of these cases and examined the tumor expression of ER, PR, PCNA, AE₁/AE₃, p53, S-100, C-erbB-2, EMA, p63, and Bcl-2 by immunohistochemistry.