Report on a case of pure cribriform carcinoma of the breast with internal mammary node metastasis: description of the case and review of the literature

Aims and background: Pure ductal invasive carcinoma of the breast is more frequently associated with lymphatic invasion, lymph node involvement and high malignant histological grade than combined forms of breast carcinoma. Internal mammary node metastases are not frequently detected when the axillary nodes are negative. Patients and methods: We report our experience of a case of pure cribriform carcinoma, associated with an intraductal cribriform component, in which the sentinel axillary nodes were negative, while nodal and perinodal metastasis was detected in one internal mammary lymph node. Conclusions: Data from the literature show that positive internal mammary nodes are an unusual finding when the axillary sentinel node is negative, especially in cases of cancer with a relatively good prognosis, such as cribriform cases.