Secretory Breast Cancer Research Articles

Genomic profile of a secretory breast cancer with an ETV6–NTRK3 duplication

Background:Secretory breast cancer (SBC) is a rare entity characterised by indolent clinical behaviour, distinctive histological features and the presence of a recurrent chromosomal translocation t(12;15)(p13;q25), leading to the formation of...

Secretory breast cancer in a 7.5-year old boy

Breast cancer is extremely rare in children, and consequently no consensus has been reached on the optimal treatment modalities. The medical history and treatment plan for a 7.5-year old male breast cancer patient is described. Radical mastectomy with sentinel node biopsy was performed in October 2002. As no malignant cells were detected in the sentinel node, and no BRCA1–2 mutations were detected, no further radio- or chemotherapy was performed. A “wait-and-see” policy was decided on. Further treatment will be given if this becomes necessary with the development of metastases.

Metastatic secretory breast cancer. Non-responsiveness to chemotherapy: Case report and review of the literature

Secretory carcinoma of the breast is a rare and indolent tumour originally described in children but occurring equally in the adult population. The principal management problems following primary surgical treatment are local recurrence and axillary lymph node metastases. Distant metastases are extremely rare. We present the case of a 27-year-old woman with pulmonary metastases from a secretory breast cancer treated by mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection 12 years previously. There was no response to chemotherapy; however, the patient remained alive and active two years from presentation with metastatic disease and one year from cessation of all cytotoxic chemotherapy. She eventually died of respiratory failure two and a half years after presentation. To our knowledge, this is only the fourth reported case of distant metastases from secretory breast cancer and the second reported case in which current active chemotherapy has been used. We review the literature and discuss the apparent chemoresistance of this tumour including the lack of membrane staining for Her2/neu. In the absence of any proven effective chemotherapy we believe that symptom control becomes the focus of management and offers patients with metastatic secretory breast cancer the greatest chance of a functional and good quality existence.

Das sekretorische Mammakarzinom

We are reporting a rare case of secretory breast cancer with axillary node involvement in a 16-year-old patient. Symptomatic systemic spread occured unusually early during adjuvant chemotherapy, suggesting primary resistance of the tumour to chemotherapy. We are unaware of any such case reports published world wide. Due to the small number of similar case reports in the literature, the natural history of this type of cancer remains uncertain, offering no development of firm treatment guidelines.