Journal of Cytology & Histology

Secretory Carcinoma of the Breast in an Elderly Woman

Abstract

Aïda Ayadi-kaddour, Rym Hamrouni, Dorra Zegal and Faouzi El Mezni

Secretory carcinoma is a very rare and distinctive type of low-grade breast carcinoma, initially termed “juvenile breast cancer”, but it is now known to occur in adults of both sexes. It is the only epithelial tumor of the breast characterized by specific translocation. In adults, it is potentially more aggressive than in children.
We report a case of an indolent breast tumor in a 66-years-old woman. The patient presented with a locally advanced mass in the right breast. She had radical mastectomy with axillary node dissection. Grossly, the mass was circumscribed, measured 50 × 35 mm, with a white glistening cut section. Microscopic examination revealed the classical features of secretory carcinoma with microcystic and solid patterns with abundant intra and extracellular PAS-positive secretory material. The tumor cells showed abundant amphophilic and clear cytoplasm with mildly atypical nuclei. Mitotic figures were infrequent. The axillary node dissection was free of tumor. The patient is disease free after a follow-up period of 12 months.
Secretory carcinoma is a very rare type of breast carcinoma and is uncommon in adults. Despite their good behavior, the prognostic factors and the therapeutic management are non-consensual. The majority of patients usually remain free of disease after surgical excision.