Intracystic Papillary Carcinoma of Breast: Report of Two Cases

Abstract

Malignancy of breast presenting as cystic lesion is a complex entity to the surgeon and pathologist especially when there is a large cyst at the previous mastectomy site. The incidence of papillary carcinoma is 0.5% of all the invasive carcinomas of the breast. In localised variety, it forms a mass which can be cystic or solid. It can be diffuse with terminal duct lobular units and correspond to papillary variant of Ductal Carcinoma in-situ (papillary DCIS). Here, authors reported an interesting case of a 62-year-old female who presented with large cystic lesion on left breast that after excision was reported as papillary carcinoma of breast. Another patient, 73-year-old also presented with cystic lesion on breast which was diagnosed as papillary carcinoma after excision biopsy. The main fact to be noted here is that approximately half of patients with intracystic carcinoma are associated with underlying ductal carcinoma (in-situ/invasive).