Cribriform Carcinoma of the Breast
Definition
- Low grade infiltrating carcinoma with a cribriform pattern
Diagnostic Criteria
- Irregular cribriform growth pattern
- Round and angular masses of cells embedded in desmoplastic stroma
- Sharply punched out round spaces
- Tubular carcinoma has same behavior so may constitute more than 10%
- Report mixtures of these two simply as the predominant type
- Nuclear grade I in at least 90% of cells
- Slightly enlarged cells
- Uniform nuclei, inconspicuous nucleoli, uniform chromatin
- Pleomorphism minimal or absent
- Mitotic figures unusual
- Remaining 10% must not show nuclear grade III
- Behavior may be that of the high grade component
- Report such tumors as mixtures of two types
- Myoepithelial cells absent on immunohistochemical stains
