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

Abstract

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.

Mucinous carcinoma occurring in the male breast

“…Mucinous carcinoma, also referred to as colloid carcinoma or gelatinous carcinoma, is histopathologically characterized by the presence of clusters of neoplastic cells suspended in extensive extracellular mucin, and accounts for ~2% of female breast carcinomas (3). However, its occurrence in the male breast is extremely rare (2,4,5). Mucinous carcinoma is histopathologically subclassified into pure and mixed types.…”

Case report: male breast carcinoma - mucinous adenocarcinoma a rare entity

“…A few cases of mucinous carcinoma of the male breast successfully diagnosed by FNAC have been reported. 9 In our case mucinous carcinoma has been diagnosed primarily on FNAC. Prognosis in male breast carcinoma is poor, maybe due to the smaller size of breast mass, which increases the probability of the involvement of surrounding structures.…”

“…7 However, certain cases of pure mucinous carcinoma with axillary lymph node metastasis in the male breast have been reported. 5,9,10 Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) is an easy and useful procedure for the diagnosis of breast tumors. A few cases of mucinous carcinoma of the male breast successfully diagnosed by FNAC have been reported.…”

Particularités anatomocliniques des cancers du sein chez l’homme dans le centre tunisien : à propos de 21 cas

“…Le carcinome lobulaire n'existe pratiquement pas chez l'homme, en raison de l'absence de structures lobulaires dans le tissu mammaire normal. Néanmoins, quelques cas ont été décrits dans les syndromes de Klinefelter et chez quelques hommes ayant un caryotype normal, en particulier sur un terrain d'hyperestrogénie importante [14]. Les autres types histologiques, notamment la forme mucineuse, sont rares [1,2].…”

“…Les autres types histologiques, notamment la forme mucineuse, sont rares [1,2]. En effet, dans la littérature, dix cas de carcinomes mucineux du sein chez l'homme ont été rapportés dont un seul présentait des métastases ganglionnaires [14]. Dans notre série, un seul cas de carcinome mucineux pur était rapporté chez un homme âgé de 75 ans qui présentait des métastases ganglionnaires.…”