Secretory (juvenile) carcinoma of the breast

A case of secretory (juvenile) carcinoma of the breast is reported in a 26-year-old multiparous woman who had been taking oral contraceptives for 7 months. The tumour recurred 8 months after local resection and axillary metastases were found at radical mastectomy. No further recurrence has been detected but the follow-up period is only 8 months. It is emphasized that secretory carcinoma of the breast originally described in children occurs also in adults. Early reports stressed the slow rate of growth, often with intervals of many years before recurrence, and the small risk of metastatic spread, many cases being cured by local resection. However, axillary metastases have been found in approximately 15% of the recorded cases. Consequently it is recommended that the initial treatment should be simple mastectomy with at least a low axillary resection.