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Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Orthotopic Transplantation of Breast Tumors as Preclinical Models for Breast Cancer
Published on: May 18, 2020
A 21-Year-Old Female with Invasive Breast Cancer within a Benign Phyllodes Tumor
Hisami Yoneda1, Yoshiko Shimizu1, Yuan Bae2
1Department of Breast Surgery, Japanese Red Cross Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan.
Introduction:
Although breast cancer occurring within a phyllodes tumor (PT) has been reported, it is extremely rare in young patients. Herein, we describe a case of breast cancer complicated by a PT in a 21-year-old female.
Case Presentation:
A 21-year-old female was referred to our hospital with a rapidly growing breast mass and suspected PT. Mammography revealed a well-defined, high-density mass. Ultrasonography revealed a blood-flow-rich hypoechoic mass with multiple slit structures, and MRI revealed a heterogeneous high signal on T2 weighted image with some diffusion restriction. A core needle biopsy revealed fibroepithelial lesions, and the lack of stromal changes suggested a high possibility of fibroadenoma. Based on the clinical and imaging findings, we considered the possibility of the PT being more than borderline malignant and planned tumor resection with a safety margin. The postoperative pathology revealed a benign PT complicated by invasive ductal carcinoma, with a predominance of intraductal carcinoma.
Conclusions:
We report the case of a 21-year-old female with breast cancer occurring within a PT. The presence of cancer was difficult to predict preoperatively based on the patient's young age and imaging findings.
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