Adenoid cystic breast carcinoma: high rates of margin positivity after breast conserving surgery.

Introduction: Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast (ACCB) is a rare malignancy with favorable prognosis: axillary lymph node involvement, distant metastases, and death due to disease are uncommon. ACCB may recur locally many years after primary surgical excision and may be substantially higher if primary procedure is lumpectomy rather than mastectomy.

Methods: Pathology database searched to identify patients diagnosed with ACCB between 1988 and 2007 at Hamilton Health Sciences Centre, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.