Treatment and Prognosis of Rare Breast Cancers

Management algorithms for invasive and non-invasive ductal and lobular breast carcinomas are well-established. Because of their very nature, rare histologic types of primary breast cancers are not represented in practice guidelines and thus present a challenge to the practicing clinician who must make recommendations for surgical treatment, axillary staging, and adjuvant therapy, as well as counsel patients as to their expected disease course and prognosis. Herein, case reports and published series of rare types of primary breast cancer including adenoid cystic, mucoepidermoid, metaplastic, squamous, neuroendocrine, encysted papillary, and micropapillary types will be reviewed to provide a basis for treatment planning for patients presenting with these rare primary breast malignancies.