Pleomorphic Adenoma of the Breast: A Rare Benign Lesion Masquerading as a Metaplastic Breast Carcinoma on Core-Needle Biopsy

We report a rare case of pleomorphic adenoma (benign mixed tumor) of the breast in a 66-year-old female. A 5.5 cm hypoechoic mass with lobulated margins was noted on ultrasound. A biopsy showed an atypical cartilaginous lesion, leading to a subsequent segmental mastectomy, which was initially interp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2023-05, Vol.15 (5), p.e38827
Main Authors: Ahmad, Muhammad, Naumaan, Anam, Munoz Zuluaga, Carlos, Yoon, Esther
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biopsy
Breast cancer
Case reports
Cytokeratin
Exocrine glands
General Surgery
Mastectomy
Oncology
Pathology
Stains & staining
Tumors
Ultrasonic imaging
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Summary:We report a rare case of pleomorphic adenoma (benign mixed tumor) of the breast in a 66-year-old female. A 5.5 cm hypoechoic mass with lobulated margins was noted on ultrasound. A biopsy showed an atypical cartilaginous lesion, leading to a subsequent segmental mastectomy, which was initially interpreted as metaplastic breast carcinoma. On the second review at our tertiary care center, a diagnosis of a pleomorphic adenoma was favored due to the circumscription and the benign epithelial component. Due to unfamiliarity with this entity, this neoplasm has occasionally been misdiagnosed clinically and even been overcalled on core needle biopsies. Careful clinical, radiological, and pathological correlation is required to avoid unnecessarily aggressive surgery, and a differential diagnosis of pleomorphic adenoma must be included in cases of well-demarcated breast masses showing myxoid or cartilaginous changes on core-needle biopsy.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.38827