Papillary Carcinoma of the Breast

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: A papillary carcinoma of the breast is relatively rare. Only about 1 to 2% of the breast carcinomas have been reported to be papillary carcinomas. So far, we have not found any report of a clinicopathological analysis of a papillary carcinoma in Korean women. METHODS: The records of 13 women diagnosed as having a papillary carcinoma were reviewed. The H&E and specially stained microscopic slides from each case were re-examined. The clinical data, tumor sizes, lymph node status, hormone receptor status, surgical procedures, and recurrences were analyzed. RESULTS: The 13 cases of papillary cancer represented an incidence of 1.28% of all breast cancers diagnosed at the Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center. The mean age of the patients was 47.08 11.79. The tumor was frequently located centrally (61.5%), and the most common symptom was a palpable mass in the breast (92.3%). Four out of the 13 patients (32.5%) had axillary lymph node metastases. Hormone receptors were positive in five of seven patients (71.4%). Only one patient with advanced disease at the time of operation experienced distant metastases within 17 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: A papillary carcinoma is a rare type of breast cancer and has a favorable prognosis. The clinical outcome and histolgic characteristics were similar to those in other reports, but the mean age of the patients in this report was lower than that of Caucasian women.