Breast carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells: A case report and review of the Japanese literature

A 41-year-old premenopausal woman with a 3.5 cm freely mobile mass in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast was admitted to our hospital. Fine needle aspiration showed malignant epithelial cells and many multinucleated osteoclast-like giant cells (OGCs). Excisional biopsy revealed an invasive ductal carcinoma. A right modified radical mastectomy was subsequently performed. Macroscopically the tumor was well circumscribed with a dark brown cut surface. Microscopically, the tumor was a grade 2 invasive ductal carcinoma with many multinucleated OGCs adjacent the tumor cells and hemorrhage and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the stroma. The intra-mammary metastasis also contained OGCs and stromal reactions. By enzyme immunoassay, the tumor cells were negative for estrogen receptor but positive for progesterone receptor. The tumor cells were negative for both c-erbB-2 and p53. The OGCs showed positive immunostaining with the monoclonal antibody CD68, demonstrating a histiocytic origin. Lymph nodes were free of metastasis. We also review the Japanese literature concerning breast carcinoma with OGCs.