High-grade poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma of the breast with low oncotype Dx recurrence score: A case report

Breast Dis. 2017;37(2):99-103. doi: 10.3233/BD-170283.

Abstract

Primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the breast (NECB) is a rare malignant tumor with controversial biological behavior and a lack of data guiding treatment decisions due to its scarcity. Cancer gene-expression profiling tests provide a better indication of clinical prognosis and help determine the best clinical management versus the traditional clinical and pathological parameters. This is a report of a NECB with a genetic assay that showed a low-risk tumor despite high-grade and poorly differentiated histopathological features. Patient outcomes correlate with the low risk classification without the need for adjuvant chemotherapy despite the standard clinical-pathologic approach. Analysis of cancer related genes expression and outcomes in historical NECB may elucidate new insight of this rare disease.

Keywords: Breast neoplasms; gene expression; neuroendocrine tumor.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Breast Neoplasms / therapy
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / genetics*
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / pathology
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / therapy
  • RNA, Messenger / analysis*

Substances

  • RNA, Messenger