Pleomorphic adenoma of the breast

Abstract

Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) is a common tumor of the salivary gland, but rarely occurs in the breast. PA of the breast is a benign tumor that usually presents as a periareolar nodule. Core-needle biopsies may yield misdiagnosis with complex fibroadenoma, phyllodes tumor and metaplastic breast cancer due to the mixture of stromal and epithelial elements. We present a case of PA of the breast suspected after core-needle biopsy, but confirmed after surgical excision. The importance to make a correct diagnosis consists in avoid extensive unnecessary surgery, such as mastectomy, since PA can be treated with local surgical resection.

A case of pleomorphic adenoma of the breast on dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging

“…Pleomorphic adenoma of the breast was first described in 1906 [1] and less than one hundred cases have been reported to date [2] . Pleomorphic adenoma of the breast is a benign tumor pathologically characterized by a mixture of epithelial/myoepithelial elements and myxomatous matrix/cartilaginous elements [12] .…”

“…The MR imaging findings and pathological findings of pleomorphic adenoma of the breast may be similar to other tumors of the breast such as phyllodes tumor, complex fibroadenoma, intracystic papilloma, encapsulated papillary carcinoma, mucinous carcinoma, metaplastic carcinoma and primary sarcoma [ [2] , [3] , [4] , [5] , [6] , [7] , [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] , 14 ]. As pleomorphic adenoma of the breast is rare and similar to other tumors, accurate preoperative diagnosis is challenging.…”

“…Pleomorphic adenoma is a common benign tumor in the salivary gland, but it is rare in the breast [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] , [5] , [6] , [7] , [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] . To the best of our knowledge, reports of the dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging findings of pleomorphic adenoma of the breast are limited.…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, reports of the dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging findings of pleomorphic adenoma of the breast are limited. Due to its rarity and similarity to other tumors of the breast, accurate preoperative diagnosis is challenging [2] , [3] , [4] , [5] , [6] , [7] , [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] . Therefore, awareness of pleomorphic adenoma of the breast on dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging is important to facilitate appropriate surgery and postoperative observation.…”