Vertebral bone metastasis in breast cancer: a case report

Vol. 52 No. 3 Suppl., 2011
This supplement was not sponsored by Outside Organizations.

ROMANIAN JOURNAL of MORPHOLOGY and EMBRYOLOGY

Elena Pirici, A. Pirici, Nicoleta Patrana, Felicia Recareanu, Fl. Badulescu, Anda Elena Crisan, Ana Sorina Zaharie

Background: We report here a case of a 66-year-old woman with a very aggressive form of breast carcinoma, having both liver and bone dissemination points. Case Description: The patient was admitted for a rapid onset disk-herniation-like syndrome, but which on further investigation proved to be in fact a metastatic case of breast cancer. We found evidence of disseminations at least in the lumbar vertebral bodies and the liver. Pathological analysis of the available vertebral metastasis revealed a HER2+ molecular pattern, accordingly to the newly evolving molecular typing of breast cancers. Despite a rapid treatment instauration, the patient reacted poorly to taxanes and octeoclast inhibitors, and died after less than 11 months from admitting to the hospital. Conclusions: This is a rare case of an aggressive breast carcinoma identified initially after the vertebral metastases themselves that induced a non-specific symptomatology.

Corresponding author: Elena Pirici, MD, e-mail: daniel.pirici@webmail.umfcv.ro

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ROMANIAN JOURNAL of MORPHOLOGY and EMBRYOLOGY

M. Moise, A. Motoc, Andreea Raducan, S. Raducan, V. Niculescu, M. Niculescu

A series of morphological and molecular factors can be used in order to appreciate the prognostic of mammary cancer. A multitude of molecular factors has been investigated in order to identify a prognostic factor, one of the most studied factors being HER2 (human epidermal receptor growth factor). For this purpose, we have carried out an immunohistochemical research, in order to determine the correlation between the presence of morphological factors in tumor formation, different stages of evolution, and the response to therapy. We have correlated HER2 expression with the histological type of carcinomas, the histological differential degree, ER, PR immunohistochemical expression, as well as the available clinical data. Within the studied carcinomas, we have identified a number of 98/156 (62.8%) carcinomas HER2/neu negative, out of which 74/156 (47.4%) did not reveal the presence of HER2/neu and 24/156 (15.4%) have been quantified as being 1+. The HER2/neu supraexpression was encountered in 58/156 (37.17%) cases: in 34/156 (21.8%) cases the immunostaining was interpreted as being 2+ and in 24/156 (15.4%) cases it was interpreted as being 3+. HER2/neu supraexpression should be routinely determined through immunohistochemical methods in all primary mammary tumors, especially in those poorly differentiated.

Corresponding author: Andrei Motoc, Professor, MD, PhD, e-mail: amotoc@umft.ro

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