[Search-frames]

[Search-no frames]

[UCHC Home]

[©]

[Feed Back]

[About]

Medullary Carcinoma

Etiology: • Unknown

Pathogenesis: • Unknown; see general discussion of duct carcinoma

Epidemiology: • Represents xy5

General Gross Description: • Tan, fleshy mass without gritty hard texture of typical invasive duct carcinoma • May show areas of hemorrhage and necrosis • Well circumscribed

General Microscopic Description: • Well circumscribed; if not, then should not be classified as medullary carcinoma • Cells are very large with scant cytoplasm, prominent nucleoli, and large nuclei • Cells arranged in sheets with a dense lymphoctyic response

Clinical Correlations: • Much better prognosis than usual duct carcinoma even with node metastases • 70% overall 10 year survival

References: • Cotran RS, Kumar V, Robbins SL. Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease 5th edition. W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, 1994, pp. 1104-5.