33 Special Types of Invasive Breast Carcinoma: Diagnostic Criteria ...

mucinous carcinoma (7,11,12,14). Intervals to recurrence of 25 (15) and 30 years (14)
have been reported, and up to (or at least) ~27% of patients with pure mucinous carcinoma
may eventually die of breast carcinoma, with ~42% of the those deaths
occurring 12 years or more after diagnosis (7). These patients can be treated
effectively with breast conservation and radiation therapy (16).
Clinicopathologic features: The mean age of women with pure mucinous carcinoma
is greater than those with non-mucinous carcinoma (7-9). These carcinomas comprise
~7 percent of carcinomas in women 75 years or older and only ~1 percent in those
younger than 35 years (17). They typically present as mass lesions of relatively short
duration (i.e., 3 months or less) in elderly patients and are usually circumscribed
masses without calcifications located mostly in upper outer quadrant (41).
Irregularities and/or calcifications suggest the presence of non-mucinous components
(8). They may measure from