[Primary sarcomas of the breast]

Primary sarcomas of the breast are extremely rare with less than 1% of all malignant tumours of the breast reported in literature. At our Institution 1315 malignant tumours of the breast were diagnosed between 1999-2004; nine of them corresponded to primary sarcomas: angiosarcoma (3), leiomyosarcoma (1), low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma (1), dematofibrosarcoma protuberans (1), liposarcoma (1), osteosarcoma (1), malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour (1). Histopathological specimens stained with routine techniques and immunoperoxidase were reviewed; proliferation index and p53 over-expression were also determined. Patients' clinical reports were also reviewed to determine prognosis (favorable and unfavorable). The incidence observed (0.7%) is similar to those already published by others authors. Proliferation index was correlated with type of evolution, being an unfavourable prognosis factor when it was equal or major to 30%. Most of the tumours (67%) showed p53 (mayor or equal to 20% of nuclear staining) over-expression but this did not show a direct relationship with the evolution of each neoplasm.