Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast: a retrospective review.

Purpose: Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast represents a rare and heterogeneous group of malignancies that accounts for less than 1% of all breast cancers. The purpose of this study is to better characterize the clinical management of this disease including the role of radiation therapy after surgery. We compared patients that have been treated with either modified radical mastectomy (MRM) or breast-conserving surgery (BCS).

Determination of HER-2 status and chromosome 17 polysomy in breast carcinomas comparing HercepTest and PathVysion FISH assay.

We evaluated and compared 2 HER-2 tests (immunohistochemical analysis [HercepTest, DAKO, Carpinteria, CA] and fluorescence in situ hybridization [FISH]) and assessed chromosome 17 polysomy status in relation to these tests. HER-2 status was obtained in 690 cases. The rinse step in the HercepTest before and after addition of the visualization reagent was 2 minutes in 188 cases and was increased to 5 minutes in 600 cases.

Mediastinal epithelioid solitary fibrous tumor.

We describe the case of a 74-year-old man with a mediastinal tumor composed predominantly of epithelioid cells exhibiting histopathologic and immunohistochemical features intermediate between those of a solitary fibrous tumor and those of a cellular adenomatoid tumor. We discuss the differential diagnosis and possible histogenesis of this unusual neoplasm, and we propose the term epithelioid solitary fibrous tumor for this entity.