Breast carcinoma in situ, ductal versus lobular

Some carcinoma in situ with a solid pattern cannot be easily classified as either ductal or lobular based on morphology.

	Ductal carcinoma in situ	Lobular carcinoma in situ
E-cadherin	Linear membranous staining	No membranous staining. Beware of membranous staining in residual luminal cells; they usually do not completely encircle the neoplastic cells.
34bE12	negative or weak	positive

Rare cases of e-cadherin DCIS have been reported2. Up to 14% of LCIS show focal positivity for e-cadherin; these cases may carry a greater risk of invasive carcinoma, similar to that for DCIS3.

References

1Lerwill, M. F. (2004). "Current practical applications of diagnostic immunohistochemistry in breast pathology." Am J Surg Pathol 28(8): 1076-91.

2Gupta, S. K., A. G. Douglas-Jones, et al. (1997). "E-cadherin (E-cad) expression in duct carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast." Virchows Arch 430(1): 23-8.

3Goldstein, N. S., L. L. Kestin, et al. (2001). "Clinicopathologic implications of E-cadherin reactivity in patients with lobular carcinoma in situ of the breast." Cancer 92(4): 738-47.

This page last revised 14.9.2004.