The Epidemiological, Therapeutic and Evolutionary Profile of Breast Medullary Carcinoma

Breast Medullary carcinoma is a histologic form with inflammatory stroma requiring strict histological criteria for its definition (RIDOLFI 1977). It represents less than 5% of breast tumors. The aim of this work is to analyse the epidemiological, clinical, evolutive characteristics and therapeutic results, through a retrospective study of medullary breast carcinoma histologically confirmed and treated in the oncology department of the university hospital of Marrakech city during a period of five years, from 2007 to 2012. 17 cases of medullary carcinoma were collected as 2.2 % of breast cancers treated during the same period. The average age was 47 years (30-58 years). The average tumor size was 4 cm with axillary lymph nodes in 6 cases (35%). The common site was the upper outer quadrant in 47 % of cases. 30% of cases showed a typical medullary carcinoma. And estrogenic or progesterone hormone receptors were negative in 9 cases (52%) and HER negative in 5 patients (47%). All typical carcinomas were “triple negative†. Conservative surgery was performed in 47% of cases, while a total mastectomy with lumpectomy involved 53% of the remaining patients. Chemotherapy was administered in 88% of patients. Postoperative radiotherapy was performed in 94% of cases. 35 % of patients had received adjuvant hormonal therapy, two patients had received targeted therapy. With a median follow of 25 months, only one case of recurrence was reported, no cases of metastasis or death was noted. This study confirms the favourable evolution of the medullary breast cancer despite poor prognostic factors often found in these rare tumors