Rare co-existence of multifocal myoepitheliosis with infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast
- Department of Histopathology, Chandigarh, India
- Correspondence to:
A Das
Department of Pathology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India-160012; asim126{at}gmail.com
- Accepted 15 October 2006
Lesions composed of myoepithelial cells are known to occur in salivary gland, but they are uncommon in the breast.1 These range from benign lesions, such as myoepithelioma, to malignancies, such as adenoid cystic carcinoma and myoepithelial carcinoma. The predominance myoepithelial cells mainly in the terminal duct-lobular units (TDLUs) with formation of multifocal lesions is termed myoepitheliosis.2 In the breast, this condition has been reported previously with other benign lesions such as sclerosing adenosis.
Recently, a role for myoepithelial cells in the pathogenesis of carcinoma has also been suggested. There are no previous reports describing the occurrence of myoepitheliosis with breast carcinoma. This report describes a unique case of dual occurrence of myoepitheliosis with infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC). We hope that future studies will disclose the relationship, if any, between the two lesions.
Case report
A 40-year-old woman presented to the surgical outpatient department with a lump in the left breast for the last 6 months. On examination, a hard mass was seen in the central part. A mammographic examination showed it to be a high-density lesion with foci of microcalcification. Fine-needle aspiration cytology …
