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Query: UMLS:C0035412 (rhabdomyosarcoma)
 6,156 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Spindle cell (sarcomatoid) carcinoma of the breast is a rare variant of breast cancer that has been classified under the broad rubric of metaplastic carcinoma. Because the term "metaplastic carcinoma" comprises a heterogeneous group of tumors, it has been difficult to reliably predict biologic potential or to determine optimal therapy. To better characterize the spindle cell subset of metaplastic breast carcinomas, we reviewed 29 cases. All patients were adult females ranging from 40 to 96 years of age (median, 68 years). Tumor size ranged from 1.5 to 15 cm (median, 4 cm). Treatment was by excision and/or mastectomy with axillary node evaluation in most cases, often combined with postoperative radiation and/or chemotherapy. All cases were clinically of breast origin, showed >or=80% spindled/sarcomatoid morphology, and demonstrated keratin positivity and/or close association with ductal carcinoma in situ. Immunohistochemical studies showed evidence suggesting myoepithelial differentiation as exhibited by immunoreactivity for smooth muscle actin, cytokeratin 14, and p63 in a subset of cases (39%). Twenty-seven cases exhibited pure spindled or sarcomatoid morphology of variable appearance and nuclear grade, whereas 2 contained high-grade invasive ductal carcinoma comprising <or=20% of the tumor mass. Two cases exhibited heterologous elements (1 rhabdomyosarcoma and 1 with both chondrosarcoma and osteosarcoma) and 4 were associated with ductal carcinoma in situ. Follow-up data were available on 24 of 29 patients (range, 1-120 months; median, 20 months). Of 20 cases in which axillary nodes were biopsied, definitive nodal metastases were identified in only 1 (5%), and this was in a case with a significant component of invasive ductal carcinoma. Three patients developed local recurrences. Extranodal metastases occurred in 11 of 24 patients (46%), most commonly to the lungs. Ten of 24 patients (42%) died of disease at a median interval of 11.5 months (range, 1-46 months) and 3 patients were alive with metastatic disease. Eight patients were alive with no evidence of recurrent or metastatic disease (median, 29.5 months). Based on this series, spindle cell/sarcomatoid carcinoma of the breast is a highly aggressive neoplasm with a high rate of extranodal metastases. Purely spindled/sarcomatoid tumors have a significantly lower rate of nodal metastases than conventional ductal and lobular breast carcinomas.
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PMID:Spindle cell (sarcomatoid) carcinoma of the breast: a clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical analysis of 29 cases. 1725 81

Epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma of the breast is a rare biphasic tumor composed of intermixed malignant epithelial and myoepithelial components. Myoepithelial cells are known to adopt varied morphologies, including spindle, chondroid, clear cell, and rhabdoid morphologies, and can represent a diagnostic challenge when isolated on biopsy. Rhabdomyosarcoma, phyllodes tumor, metaplastic carcinoma, and myoepithelial carcinoma are primary breast tumors that all have been shown to exhibit rhabdoid features, whether representing true differentiation or morphological mimic. We here report an epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma of the breast with rhabdoid features in a 76-year-old woman. The rhabdoid-appearing myoepithelial cells are negative for myogenin, consistent with a rhabdoid-like morphology rather than a true rhabdoid differentiation, comparably to previously described myoepithelial carcinoma with rhabdoid features. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma of the breast with rhabdoid features and thus adds another entity to the differential diagnosis of breast lesions with rhabdoid features.
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PMID:Epithelial-Myoepithelial Carcinoma of the Breast with Rhabdoid Features. 3308 78