Breast – Malignant, Males, Children - Alveolar variant of lobular carcinoma

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Breast-malignant, males, children

Alveolar variant of lobular carcinoma

Author: Nat Pernick, M.D, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.

Reviewer: Daniel Visscher, M.D., University of Michigan Hospitals, February 2009 (see Reviewers page)

Revised: 12 September 2009

Last major update: September 2009

Clinical

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● 4% of infiltrating lobular carcinoma cases (Br J Cancer 1989;60:605)

● Often postmenopausal women (Am J Clin Pathol 1986;85:1)

Micro description

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● Sharply outlined (rounded) groups or nests of 20 or more cells, resembling alveoli, separated by delicate fibrovascular tissue

● May have osteoclast giant cells (Pathologica 1993;85:525)

Micro images

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Uniform alveolar growth pattern

Tumor cells in discrete rounded aggregates

separated by fibrous stroma (AFIP)

E-cadherin negative May have retained E-cadherin

staining (fig d/e)

Cytology description

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● Rosette like pattern (Acta Cytol 2000;44:169)

Electron microscopy

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● Tumor cells are similar to classic lobular tumors, but nests of cells are surrounded by elongated fibroblasts or myofibroblasts (Ultrastruct Pathol 1986;10:311)

Differential diagnosis

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● Lobular carcinoma in situ - groups of cells have distinct myoepithelial layer and basement membrane

● Lymphoma - negative for epithelial markers, positive for lymphocytic markers

End of Breast – Malignant, Males, Children > Alveolar variant of lobular carcinoma

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