Rhabdomyosarcoma of the breast – a rare malignancy

Patient: Female, 60 Final Diagnosis: Rhabdomyosarcoma of the breast Symptoms: Lump in axilla Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Mastectomy Specialty: Oncology OBJECTIVE: Rare disease BACKGROUND: Primary nonepithelial malignancies of the breast include primary breast sarcomas, therapy-related breast sarcomas, the phyllodes tumors, and primary breast lymphomas. They account for less than 5% of all breast neoplasms. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 60-year-old postmenopausal female diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma with infiltrating duct carcinoma. She was treated with modified radical mastectomy with axillary clearance and postoperative chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Primary rhabdomyosarcoma of the breast in adults is extremely rare. Rhabdomyosarcomas in adults account for less than 3% of all adult primary soft-tissue sarcomas. Primary breast sarcomas usually present as large painless breast lumps with no associated skin and nipple changes or axillary lymphadenopathy; they are more aggressive and have more rapid growth than epithelial malignancies or benign breast lesions. The tumor can grow to large size, around 5.8 cm. Affected patients are typically women in their 50 s (ranging from 17 to 89 years), but it is also seen in men. The treatment of primary breast sarcomas requires a multidisciplinary approach. Surgery remains the mainstay of therapy. Chemotherapy has no clearly defined role in primary breast or soft-tissue sarcomas. The prognosis of primary breast sarcomas depends on the histologic grade and size of the tumor. They spread locally and hematogenously, but they are not usually associated with axillary lymphadenopathy.