Pathology of Breast Flashcards
8 Major breast cancer risk factors
female, >50 yrs, geography, family hx, fibrocystic change, prior breast/gyn cancer, radiation, unopposed estrogen
2 main forms of breast carcinoma
insitu (CIS) and invasive
2 main forms of CIS
ductal and lobular
Key features of CIS
microscopic, CIS cells proliferate in position, lacks capacity to spread (contained by basement membrane), benign-acting
Which breast carcinoma acts like a benign carcinoma
DCIS
T/F DCIS is always curable if treated
T
____ is a non-obligate precursor of invasive breast carcinoma
DCIS
Screening for DCIS would reveal ____
cluster of calcifications –> product of calcified necrosis
Calcification of tissues due to local acid/base changes e.g. from necrosis
dystrophic
Malignant DCIS vs Normal DCIS
enlarged cells, high NC ratio, nucleoli, mitoses
Which is more common? DCIS v LCIS
DCIS = 80% vs LCIS = 20%
Key features of LCIS
microscopic, proliferate in position, BUT incidental finding –> no mass/calcification
T/F LCIS is screenable
F –> incidental finding
Malignant features of LCIS
lack of cohesion, signet ring cells
T/F LCIS is benign acting
T
T/F LCIS is easy to excise
F –> hard to identify a singular mass
Tx of LCIS
watch and weight + sometimes tamoxifen (Anti estrogen to prevent malignant transformation)
Clinical presentation of invasive breast cancer
Mass on mammogram
Key features of invasive breast cancer
no longer in situ, can spread past basement membrane, potentially lethal
Paget disease of nipple
clinical finding involving crusting and ulceration due to surface DCIS or migration of breast carcinoma to nipple epidermis (transformation of ductal to squamous epithelium) –> paget cells
Inflammatory breast carcinoma
reddened skin on breast, evolving rapidly, virulent form of breast cancer –> carcinoma in dermal lymphatics
Why does skin redden in inflammatory breast carcinoma
unknown –> but not due to actual inflammation