Abstract
BackgroundSpontaneous regression (SR) is a rare phenomenon in which a cancer disappears or remits without treatment. We report a case of breast cancer that showed spontaneous tumor regression in the surgical specimen after core needle biopsy.Case presentationA 59-year-old woman came to our hospital complaining of a painful lump in the right breast. In the upper-outer quadrant of the right breast, a tumor with an unclear boundary, 30 mm in diameter, was palpable. In pathological findings from needle biopsy, the tumor was diagnosed as solid-type invasive ductal breast carcinoma. Partial coagulation necrosis was generated in estrogen receptor-negative, HER2-negative, and AE1/AE3-positive ductal carcinoma without infiltration of lymphocytes. Surgery for right breast cancer was then performed. Histological examination of the surgical specimen revealed the tumor was invasive ductal carcinoma with lymphocyte infiltration, coagulation necrosis, and fibrous tissue with hemosiderin. The tumor formed a solid nest, 3 mm in diameter, suggesting the possibility of SR.ConclusionsImmune responses, infection, hormones, surgical stress, and ischemia have been reported as mechanisms of SR. The findings in this case strongly suggest that SR of breast cancer is associated with anti-tumor immune responses.
Highlights
Spontaneous regression (SR) is a rare phenomenon in which a cancer disappears or remits without treatment
Immune responses, infection, hormones, surgical stress, and ischemia have been reported as mechanisms of SR
The findings in this case strongly suggest that SR of breast cancer is associated with anti-tumor immune responses
Summary
Spontaneous regression (SR) of cancer is a rare but welldocumented biological phenomenon. We confirmed that partial coagulation necrosis was generated in estrogen receptor-negative, HER2-negative, and AE1/AE3-positive ductal carcinoma without infiltration of lymphocytes on preoperative pathological findings. Postoperative histopathological findings showed that most tumor cells had been replaced by granulation tissue and residual ductal carcinoma had been driven into a smaller area by the infiltration of lymphocytes, suggesting that the SR of this breast cancer could be due to anti-tumor immune responses induced by unexplained inflammation. Case presentation A 59-year-old woman came to our hospital with a chief complaint of a painful lump in the right breast She regularly visited her primary doctor for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Partial coagulation necrosis was generated in estrogen receptor-negative, HER2-negative, and AE1/ AE3-positive ductal carcinoma without infiltration of lymphocytes (Fig. 2a–j, 3a–e).
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