BREAST-CANCER IN PATIENTS UNDER 18 YEARS - REPORT OF AN INFLAMMATORY CASE AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

We report a case of inflammatory breast cancer in an 11 year-old girl. She was treated with chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy, followed by intensification and autologous bone marrow transplantation. She re lapsed 8 months after the end of treatment and died 2 months later wit h polymetastatic disease. Genetic studies did not identify any mutatio n of the p53 gene. Sixty-four cases of breast cancer in patients under 18 years have been reported. Thirty-eight were sufficiently described to be discussed. In two-thirds of patients, pathologic examination sh owed a secretory juvenile carcinoma. Prognosis in this group was good with only one death reported. In the other patients, poorly differenti ated or inflammatory carcinomas were described. Mortality in this grou p is high. Well differentiated carcinoma were reported in two patients . Paediatric breast cancer appears to be different from the adult dise ase with regard to history, sex ratio and prognosis. Therapeutic impli cations are discussed.