Breast Cancer Subtypes: Clinicopathologic Features and Treatment Considerations

Abstract

Purpose of review: The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of ten unique breast cancer subtypes and their clinicopathologic features and treatment implications.

Recent findings: Recent findings show that while many subtypes (mucinous, papillary, tubular, apocrine) have favorable biology, with better overall survival than invasive ductal carcinoma, some (metaplastic, adenoid cystic) are more aggressive portending worse prognosis for patients.

Summary: The differences in histology represented in these breast cancer subtypes often impacts biology, behavior, and prognosis. Due to their rarity, additional research is needed to implement clear treatment protocols for each subtype.

Keywords: Apocrine carcinoma; Breast cancer subtypes; Metaplastic; Mucinous; Papillary.

Fig. 1

A: Apocrine carcinoma (H&E, 200x); B: Invasive ductal carcinoma with medullary pattern (H&E, 200x); C: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (H&E, 200x); D: Invasive lobular carcinoma with signet ring features (H&E, 200x);E: Tall cell carcinoma with reversed polarity (H&E, 200x); F: Spindle cell metaplastic carcinoma (H&E, 200x); G: Metaplastic carcinoma with heterologous (chondromyxoid) mesenchymal differentiation (H&E, 200x); H: Neuroendocrine carcinoma (H&E, 200x); I: Tubular carcinoma (H&E, 200x); J: Mucinous carcinoma (H&E, 200x); K: Encapsulated papillary carcinoma (H&E, 20x); L: Solid papillary carcinoma (H&E, 20x)