Fine needle aspiration cytology of apocrine mammary carcinoma: Report of five cases

Introduction: Apocrine carcinoma (AC) is an uncommon variant of breast carcinoma. The incidence of apocrine carcinoma is approximately 4% of mammary carcinomas. Case Series: In this study five cases of apocrine breast carcinoma were identified. Three cases of apocrine breast carcinoma with infiltrating (IF) AC and two cases with intraductal (ID) AC. The cytologic featuers showed large malignant cells with vesicular, eccentrically placed nucleus, macronuclei and abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm and were diagnosed as apocrine mammary carcinoma. The diagnosis was confirmed by reviewing histopathology slides. Conclusion: Apocrine carcinoma is a distinct morphologic entity with a natural history similar to that of non­apocrine ductal carcinoma. It needs to be distinguished from benign apocrine metaplastic lesions pre­ operatively, so that appropriate treatment can be given to the patient.