DEDIFFERENTIATION IN ADENOID CYSTIC CARCINOMA OF THE BREAST - AN UNEXPECTED INTRAOPERATIVE FINDING AND A DIAGNOSTIC CHALLENGE


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CİN S., Duman E., Cin M.

POLISH JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY, vol.76, no.4, pp.343-347, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 76 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 2025
  • Doi Number: 10.5114/pjp.2025.158973
  • Journal Name: POLISH JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, MEDLINE, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Page Numbers: pp.343-347
  • Istanbul University Affiliated: No

Abstract

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the breast with high-grade transformation (dedifferentiation) is an extremely rare entity in the literature. Due to its potential to cause significant diagnostic challenges, recognition of this variant is clinically important. We report the case of a 58-year-old woman presenting with a 7 & times; 6 cm retroareolar breast mass. Core biopsy revealed features consistent with classic ACC; however, intraoperative frozen section of a sentinel lymph node demonstrated poorly differentiated carcinoma, showing no resemblance to the initial biopsy. This rare case is presented to contribute to the literature and raise awareness of this unusual phenomenon in breast tumors.