Primary signet-ring cell carcinoma of the breast is a very rare tumor and is not recognized as an independent entity of the World Health Organization classification of breast tumor. Primary signet-ring cell carcinoma of the breast is usually considered as a variant of mucinous carcinoma or lobular carcinoma and usually originates from the lobular epithelium. A case of primary signet-ring cell carcinoma of the breast in a 68-year-old woman is presented. Histologically, the majority of neoplastic cells had an intracytoplasmic mucin collection. The histological presence of ductal carcinoma in situ, absence of lobular lesion and immunoreactivity for estrogen and progesterone receptors implicated the tumor cells arising from ductal epithelium. The papillary or organoid growth pattern is characteristic in this case. The patient underwent a modified radical mastectomy and was subsequently followed up for 6 months.

No abstract

BACKGROUND The association of Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) with Hodgkin's disease (HD) is intimately related to socioeconomic status. The proportion of HD patients with EBV is high in developing countries but low in developed countries. The aim of this study was to delineate the association of EBV with HD in Taiwan. METHODS Tissues from 70 consecutive cases of HD were examined for the presence of EBV, for the latent membrane protein (LMP‐1) by immunohistochemistry, and for EBER‐1 by in situ hybridization. RESULTS There were 53 males and 17 females, with a mean age of 42 years (range, 7‐75 years). Histologic subtypes included nodular sclerosis in 36 cases (51.4%), mixed cellularity in 26 (37.1%), lymphocyte predominance in 6, and lymphocyte depletion in 2. Overall, EBV was expressed in 44 cases (62.9%), with EBER‐1 expression detected in 40 (57.1%) and LMP‐1 detected in 38 (54.3%). The following histologic subtypes were associated with EBV: lymphocyte predominance in 1 of 6 cases (16.7%), nodular sclerosis in 23 of 36 cases (63.9%), mixed cellularity in 18 of 26 cases (69.2%), and lymphocyte depletion in 2 of 2 cases (100%). CONCLUSIONS EBV association with HD is relatively high in Taiwan. Although EBV was detected in all subtypes and at all ages in this study, the low endemic incidence of HD in Taiwan suggests that other factors, besides EBV, play a role in the pathogenesis of HD. Cancer 1998;83:367‐371. © 1998 American Cancer Society.

Whether the pathogenesis of polymorphic reticulosis is from T cells, B cells, or histiocytes has been controversial. In this study, the Southern blot hybridization technique was used to analyze immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor beta-chain genes and to perform the conventional surface marker analysis in two patients with polymorphic reticulosis. The immunophenotype demonstrated the presence of predominantly mature, activated T-lymphocytes, minimal B-cells, and no natural killer cells or monocytes/granulocytes. The mature T-cell phenotype could be due to either inflammatory infiltrates or neoplastic cells of peripheral T-cell type, because the two coexist in polymorphic reticulosis tumors. The value of surface marker examination is limited in the analysis of PMR tumors. However, genetic analysis revealed that only Ig genes were rearranged, with no rearrangement of the TCR beta gene. Rearrangement of immunoglobulin genes occurs in B-lineage lymphoid neoplasms and is thought to be a criterion for diagnosis of lymphoid neoplasms. Based on genetic analysis and clinicopathologic information, this study concluded that polymorphic reticulosis is a malignant lymphoma of B-cell lineage.