Paper II
Question
Morphologic type of invasive carcinoma breast with excellent prognosis
Answer
Correct answer: a) Tubular carcinoma
Tubular carcinoma is a well-differentiated, low-grade special histological subtype of invasive breast carcinoma, composed of well-formed, angulated tubules with open lumina, lined by a single layer of relatively uniform cells with minimal atypia. It carries an excellent prognosis, with a very low rate of axillary nodal metastasis and distant recurrence compared to invasive ductal carcinoma (no special type). (Mucinous/colloid carcinoma also carries a favourable prognosis among special subtypes, but tubular carcinoma is classically cited as having the best prognosis of all invasive breast carcinoma subtypes.)