Pure mucinous breast carcinoma: a favorable subtype

Pure mucinous breast carcinoma is a relatively rare subtype of breast malignancy. This study is to investigate the clinical and pathologic features of pure mucinous breast carcinoma.

A retrospective review of our database of patients who presented with breast cancer was performed. The medical records of 1,060 patients with invasive breast cancer who underwent surgery were reviewed.

28 patients with pure mucinous breast cancer were identified. The mean age was 55.28 ± 15.73 years. 17 patients underwent modified radical mastectomy; 11 underwent breast-conserving therapy. The tumor size was T1 in 19 patients, T2 in 8 patients, and T3 in 1 patient. None of the patients had lymph node metastasis. There was no distant metastasis. 18 were stage I, and 10 were stage II. Estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, HER-2, and P53 were positive in 96, 93, 0, and 28%, respectively. Median follow-up was 42 months (range 1-84 months). 1 patient had local recurrence. The overall survival rate was 100%.

Pure mucinous breast carcinoma has a favorable prognosis. Less invasive treatment might be optional. Larger data samples with longer follow-up would be necessary to gain a better understanding of this disease.