Changing the Term “Breast Tumor Resembling the Tall Cell Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma” to “Tall Cell Variant of Papillary Breast Carcinoma”

Abstract

Papillary lesions of the breast continue to be a diagnostic challenge because of the wide morphologic spectrum that may be encountered in these lesions. A rare entity termed "breast tumor resembling the tall cell variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma" is considered to be a subtype of papillary carcinoma of the breast. It is characterized by distinct morphologic features, setting it apart from typical papillary carcinoma of the breast. Its resemblance to papillary thyroid carcinoma in conjunction with the established terminology may cause confusion, resulting in unnecessary ancillary studies to exclude the association of this lesion with papillary thyroid carcinoma. As immunohistochemical and molecular studies have shown no evidence to support any association between this entity and papillary thyroid carcinoma, we propose to change the current terminology of "breast tumor resembling the tall cell variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma" to the term "tall cell variant of papillary breast carcinoma."