Pure mucinous carcinoma with axillary lymph node metastasis in a male breast.

Pure mucinous carcinoma of the male breast is an extremely uncommon malignant breast neoplasm and usually occurs at advanced age. It is characterized by a higher degree of mucus production, a more benign behavior, a lower incidence of metastatic nodal involvement, and a subsequent higher survival rate. We describe such a case of a 59-year-old male, who displayed a gradually growing retroareolar tumor of the right breast. The tumor was well demarcated and had a soft consistency with a gelatinous appearance. Based on the preoperative clinical identification of right axillary lymphadenopathy, the patient eventually underwent right modified radical mastectomy and right axillary nodal dissection. Regarding histological findings, the neoplasm corresponded to a pure mucinous carcinoma with axillary lymph node metastasis. Although lymph node metastasis of pure mucinous carcinoma of the breast is rare, it is essential to perform careful clinical examination when the primary breast mass is suspicious for mucinous carcinoma, because the presence of axillary lymphadenopathy will subsequently define the proper choice of therapeutic strategy.

Plasmacytoid myoepithelioma of the palate: case report.

Myoepitheliomas are extremely rare benign neoplasms of salivary glands. They represent 1-1.5% of all salivary gland tumors. They occur, principally, in the parotid gland and infrequently in minor salivary glands. There are distinct histological and immunohistochemical characteristics of the tumor which aid in the diagnosis. Myoepithelioma of the palate is uncommon and only a limited number of cases has been reported in the English literature. Herein, a case of plasmacytoid type of myoepithelioma of the palate in an adult female is presented along with review of the literature.

Breast tumour as the first manifestation of extramedullary relapse of Philadelphia positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Extramedullary relapses of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are rare and usually localized in the central nervous system. We describe such an uncommon case of extramedullary relapse of ALL in the breast of a 44 year old female. The patient, who had been diagnosed with precursor B cell, Philadelphia positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) 5 years before and had been in complete molecular remission for the last 19 months, was admitted to the hospital for investigation of a hard, non-tender lump in her right breast. Mammography detected a dense, ill-defined mass, whereas on grey-scale and power Doppler sonography, the appearance of the lesion was consistent with malignancy. Histopathologic and immunohistochemical examination of the specimen demonstrated a similar immunophenotype (CD20+, CD10+, Tdt+, CD3-) as this of the onset ALL cell population in the bone marrow.

Axillary silicone lymphadenopathy secondary to augmentation mammaplasty.

We report a case involving a 45-year-old woman, who presented with an axillary mass 10 years after bilateral cosmetic augmentation mammaplasty. A lump was detected in the left axilla, and subsequent mammography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated intracapsular rupture of the left breast prosthesis. An excisional biopsy of the left axillary lesion and replacement of the ruptured implant was performed. Histological analysis showed that the axillary lump was lymph nodes containing large amounts of silicone. Silicone lymphadenopathy is an obscure complication of procedures involving the use of silicone. It is thought to occur following the transit of silicone droplets from breast implants to lymph nodes by macrophages and should always be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients in whom silicone prostheses are present.

Pulmonary sarcoidosis simulating metastatic breast cancer.

The clinical appearance and imaging findings of sarcoidosis and breast carcinoma may sometimes mimic one another, making the differential diagnosis between these two diseases difficult in some cases. A 69-year-old woman displayed an irregular shaped lesion in her left breast. Preoperative localization modalities detected a breast mass with malignant characters. The patient also was found to have pulmonary findings for metastatic disease on chest computed tomography. These features were proven upon biopsy to be consistent with sarcoidosis. The patient underwent breast surgery, adjuvant chemoradiotherapy and hormonal therapy, while corticosteroids were administered for pulmonary sarcoidosis. The patient is well 12 months later, without recurrence. An unfortunate consequence of the presence of both entities in the same patient is the risk of misguided differential diagnosis and incorrect therapeutic strategy. This patient shows the importance of confirming a clinical diagnosis of sarcoidosis with appropriate biopsies and histological examination, prior to initiation of breast cancer therapy.

Axillary lymph node metastases as the sole clinical site of occult breast carcinoma.

Patients without evidence of breast disease, who present with axillary lymph node metastases, consistent with breast origin, comprise a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma. We describe such a case of a 47-year-old female, who complained of swelling and pain of the left axilla, but no breast mass was palpable. Although histology identified a metastatic adenocarcinoma in the lymph nodes, numerous tests failed to detect the primary tumor. Immunohistochemistry showed that the resected lymph nodes were positive for both estrogen and progesterone receptors, CEA and Gross Cystic Disease Fluid Protein 15 (GCDFP-15), suggesting the breast as the site of the primary tumor. Left modified radical mastectomy was performed. Pathology revealed an invasive ductal carcinoma, 12 mm in size. The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She is currently being treated with tamoxifen and is well without evidence of disease 2 years after surgery.