Cribriform Carcinoma of the Breast
Clinical
- Long term survival reported to be 100% if pure or mixed only with tubular
- Incidence of axillary lymph node metastases unclear
- Page 1983 reported 14%
- Series included both low and moderate nuclear grade
- Venable 1990 reported 40%
- Of 8 cases with positive nodes, only one was pure with low grade nuclei
- Others had grade II nuclei or were mixed
- 100% survival reported even with axillary metastases in above two series
- Incidence of axillary metastases in nuclear grade I cribriform carcinoma is unknown
- Systemic metastases very rare
- Low stage grade I infiltrating ductal carcinoma has nearly the same prognosis
- Distinction in difficult cases may not be critical
