Clinical diagnosis and treatment of 20 cases of breast neuroendocrine carcinoma

Abstract

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment strategies of breast neuroendocrine carcinoma. Methods 20 cases with breast neuroendocrine carcinoma, who were admitted in Department of Breast Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University from Mar. 2005 to Dec. 2017, were analyzed retrospectively. Results The average age of the 20 patients was (54.35±13.35) years. In aspect of surgery, 18 patients received modified radical mastectomy, 1 patient received total glandectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy and stage I silicone implant breast reconstruction, and 1 patient received radical mastectomy. In terms of pathological types, there were 5 cases (25.0%) of highly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma, 4 cases (20.0%) of poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma (small cell carcinoma) , and 11 cases (55.0%) of invasive breast cancer with neuroendocrine differentiation. In molecular typing, there were 7 cases (35.0%) of Luminal A, 7 cases (35.0%) of Luminal B (HER2 negative) , 4 cases (20.0%) of Luminal B (HER2 positive) , and one case (5.0%) of HER2 type and one case (5.0%) of Basal-like type. The positive rates of ER, PR and HER2 in this group were 90.0%, 60.0% and 25.0% respectively. 20 patients were followed up for 5 to 119 months, with an average follow-up of (59.85±24.51) months. One patient developed bone metastases in the 6th year after surgery and survived for 119 months. One patient developed pulmonary metastasis at the 20th month after surgery and died at the 28th month after surgery. So far, the remaining postoperative patients still survived and no sign of recurrence or metastasis was found. Conclusion The diagnosis of breast neuroendocrine carcinoma relies on histopathological and immunohistochemical detection. Its ER/PR positive rate is high, its molecular typing is mostly Luminal type, and neoadjuvant treatment can be performed when necessary. For specific patients whose ER or PR are positive, neoadjuvant endocrine therapy is also a well-established therapy, even the optimal results can be achieved. However, more cases are still needed for research. Key words: Breast cancer; Neuroendocrine carcinoma