24879              SCIRRHOUS CARCINOMA OF THE BREAST

The patient was a woman aged 49. A lump in the right breast was first noticed 3 months previously by her husband. It had increased in size since then. Examination showed a 3 cm lump in the lower outer quadrant, with early skin attachment. Two nodes were palpable in the axilla. Chest X-ray, bone scan and liver scan showed no distant metastases. Biopsy and frozen section of an axillary node confirmed carcinoma and the breast was then amputated.

The specimen shows a small scirrhous carcinoma 1.5 cms in diameter 3 cms from the nipple. It lies about 1.5 cms beneath the skin. The breast tissue beneath the nipple is pale and fibrous. Histology shows cuboidal and polygonal cell scirrhous carcinoma with moderate hormonal hyperplasia in the remainder of the breast.