Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast: Report of a case

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast is an uncommon form of cancer, and o nly a few articles have described the cytological findings of this disease. We report herein the case of a 48-year-old woman who presented with a brea st mass beneath the nipple, the aspirate from which consisted of globules o f mucous balls surrounded by epithelial cells with scant cytoplasm and hype rchromatic nuclei. Microscopically, the tumor was formed by myoepithelial c ells and glandular epithelial cells in a biphasic pattern. Immunohistochemi cal study revealed positivity for smooth muscle actin. A left total mastect omy with axillary lymph node dissection was performed. None of the 22 axill ary lymph nodes contained metastases, and the patient remains well and free from recurrence 29 months after her operation. This case report provides s ome information about the cytological diagnosis and the accuracy of fine-ne edle aspiration, which must be considered despite the rarity of this diseas e.