A rare case report of breast sarcoma

Abstract

Malignant tumors that originate from the mesenchymal tissue of the mammary gland, known as breast sarcomas, are very rare and can be divided into 2 types: primary and secondary (therapy-related development). Breast sarcomas are aggressive tumors associated with a poor prognosis. Treatment options include the coordination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. We present a case of a 51-year-old female who presented to the hospital after noticing a palpable mass in the left breast and bloody nipple discharge. These symptoms lasted for more than 4 months. Postoperative histopathology revealed an undifferentiated pleomorphic breast sarcoma. After 8 months of treatment, the patient experienced metastasis to the brain and lungs.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Breast sarcoma; Mastectomy.

Fig. 1

The mass was hypointense on T1-weighted images (A, arrow) and hyperintense on T2-weighted images (B, arrow), with restricted diffusion (C and D, arrows), and was markedly enhanced (D, arrow). The mass invaded the skin (A and E, arrowheads) and chest wall (E, yellow arrow).

Fig. 2

Hematoxylin and eosin staining showed a diffuse, patternless arrangement of highly atypical spindles and several necrotic regions (A). Mitoses were numerous (B).

Fig. 3

Immunohistochemical staining showed that the tumor cells were negative for the markers CD3 (A), CD20 (B), CD34 (C), CK (D), HMB45 (E), myogenin (F), S100 (G), and SMA (H). The Ki-67 index was 70% (I)