Micropapillary carcinoma of the breast: A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Introduction: A rare entity accounting for less than 3% of all breast carcinomas. Its prognosis is poor due to the presence of vascular emboli and lymph node metastases. However, the micropapillary appearance is not an independent prognostic factor. Case Report: We report the case of a 38-year-old female patient who presented with a mass of the left breast, the anatomopathology of which was in favor of an invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC). The clinical and radiological presentations are characteristically non-specific: nests of tumor cells with irregular peripheral borders separated from the fibrocollagenous stroma by a clear space. There is no conjunctivo-vascular axis in the middle of the tumor cells. The mitotic index is generally high. Conclusion: This type of carcinoma is characterised by an aggressive evolution and unfavourable prognosis, frequent alterations of chromosome 8 and a luminal B phenotype, and histologically.