Predictive and prognostic relevance of immunohistochemical testing of estrogen and progesterone receptors in breast cancer in South East Nigeria: A review of 417 cases.

ER/PgR testing are now routinely performed in breast cancer evaluation in Southeastern Nigeria. ER is predictive to show beneficiaries of hormonal therapy and a prognostic marker to establish tumors that will resist paclitaxel induced apoptosis so a cost effective combination of anthracylines can be used as treatment in our low resource setting thus improving survival, reducing recurrence, and cost. Four hundred seventeen cases of breast cancer seen over a period of 3 years were routinely tested for ER/PgR. ER positivity was defined as nuclear positivity of 1% in the presence of internal and external controls. Four hundred seventeen patients with Ductal Carcinoma participated. Majority were females 98.3%. Majority 60.2% were between 31 and 50 years old. Mean age was 33.5 ± 6.4 years. Two hundred fifty-seven (61.6%) were positive both for ER/PgR. 70.3% of age group 41-50 years had positive ER, age groups 20-30, and >70 years had positive ER also. ER positive cancer was 60.2%. Fifty-seven were 1%-9% positive. Most positive estrogen receptors were seen between 41 and 50 years at 70.3%. Least was seen at 31-40 years at 51.4%. Study provides an objective basis for using hormonal manipulation and makes cost affordable with appropriate chemotherapeutic agents in our low resource setting. Presentations were typically late. Seventy-six percent of stage 2 disease survived after 6 years compared with only 56% of stage 2 disease prior to immunotyping and radiotherapy in 2007. Both stage 3 and 4 had remarkable survival too at 55% and 33% respectively when compared with 2007 figures at 33% for stage 3 and 9.2% at stage 4.

T2 breast cancer presenting with diffuse liver metastases and hepatic failure following fertility treatment. Cautionary report.

BACKGROUND: Diffuse hepatic metastases with hepatic failure as a presentation of a T2 breast cancer is rare. This is also remarkable seeing our case had been on fertility treatments before presentation. There are no documented reports of breast cancer patient on fertility treatment presenting with diffuse hepatic metastases and liver failure. CASE SUMMARY: A 41 year old Para 1 Nigerian woman being managed for secondary infertility with an extended use of clomiphene presented with a 3 months history of a left breast lump, nipple bleeding and later, yellowness of eyes, right hypochondrial pain malaise and drowsiness. Abdominal USS showed an enlarged liver with diffuse metastatic nodules. Liver function tests showed persistently elevating liver enzymes and serum bilirubin. Serology showed Hepatitis B negative. She was diagnosed with a T2 left invasive ductal carcinoma, Er-, Pr+ Her2+ with deteriorating liver function from diffuse hepatic metastases She had chemotherapy but succumbed barely a week of presentation. CONCLUSION: Breast cancer screening for patients before fertility treatments and continual surveillance while on such treatment is highly recommended.

Management of pregnancy associated breast cancer with chemotherapy in a developing country.

CONTEXT: Although breast cancer is a common cancer, Pregnancy associated breast cancer is uncommon. Adjuvant chemotherapy administered intrapartum has been resolved to be safe from the second trimester. OBJECTIVE: To review cases of pregnancy associated breast cancer managed with adjuvant intrapartum chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Gravid patients diagnosed with breast cancer had chemotherapy administered by a slow infusion protocol at 3 weekly interval from the second trimester till 4 weeks to expected date of delivery. Obstetric scans were done to monitor fetal growth and development. Requisite surgery was carried out intrapartum and postpartum. RESULTS: There were three cases of pregnancy associated breast cancer Age range 32-33 years, mean 32.5 years. Two cases presented in the second trimester while one presented in the third trimester. The second case had overt metastatic disease and was grave in respiratory distress. Histology showed invasive lobular carcinoma in two cases and extensive intraductal carcinoma with invasive component in the third. Immunohistochemistry showed triple negative in the first case and hormone positive in the third case. Wide local excision was done for a 3cm lump in the first case and mastectomy postpartum in the third case. but had no surgery. Doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide was administered three weekly from the second trimester up to 32 weeks and continued postpartum. Taxanes was administered afterwards. The grave clinical state of the second case was markedly improved with the first cycle of chemotherapy instituted. All cases had spontaneous vaginal delivery with good apgar scores. Children had normal developmental milestones. First case with breast conservation is clinically disease free, the second case demised postpartum from disease progression while the third had a mastectomy and is on cue for radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant intrapartum chemotherapy had a successful outcome with birth of normal babies with normal developmental milestones in our miniseries.

Metaplastic breast carcinoma; melanocytic variant, a very rare tumour.

Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare heterogeneous malignancy, accounting for <1% of all invasive breast carcinomas, in which adenocarcinoma is found to coexist with an admixture of spindle, squamous, chondroid or bone-forming neoplastic cells. Melanocytic variant was first described by Ruffolo et al. in 1997. We report a case of MBC, melanocytic variant, in a 57-year-old Nigerian female who presented with a left breast mass 8 cm in diameter in the upper outer quadrant, hard and gradually increase in size to become painful. Breast examination showed gross asymmetry. Left breast was oedematous and shiny with extensive peau d'orange. No palpable axillary nodes were seen. Chest X-ray and abdominal ultrasound scan showed no involvement. Breast biopsy revealed an invasive metaplastic ductal carcinoma with melanocytic differentiation.

Axillary breast cancer in a Nigerian woman.

Ectopic breast cancer is rare and diagnosis is commonly delayed. We report the case of a 34-year-old Nigerian woman with a locally advanced invasive ductal carcinoma in the axillary breast. She underwent an axillary mastectomy and is due to receive adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The management of this patient is discussed in relation to existing medical literature on the subject.