[Mesenchymal breast sarcomas: general review]

Breast sarcomas are rare, representing 1% of all malignant breast tumors. A variety of histologies are found, the main ones being fibrosarcomas and malignant fibrohistiocytomas. Nodal involvement is rare and, as in other sarcomas, hematogenous spread of metastases is more usual. Major prognostic factors are histological grade and mitotic activity; the three-year disease-free survival ranges between 40% and 60%. Surgery remains the treatment of choice of these tumors; for some authors adjuvant irradiation could improve local control, especially for patients treated with conservative surgery. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy remains undefined.