Unusual histopathologic finding in axillary lymph node in patient with invasive breast carcinoma NST: Case report and literature review

Overview

Lymph nodes are routinely examined during the staging of malignant tumors, particularly those of epithelial origin. The assessment of metastatic involvement, especially of sentinel or regional lymph nodes, is absolutely crucial for the appropriate clinical management of patients. However, lymph nodes can also harbor other lesions that must be taken into consideration during differential diagnosis–not only reactive lymphadenopathy, but also less common findings, such as epithelial inclusions or heterotopic occurrence of certain tissues. In this paper we demonstrate the importance of such findings in two cases from our institution, accompanied by a brief review of the published literature focusing on the differential diagnosis of axillary lymph node lesions. We present case reports of findings in the axillary lymph nodes of two female patients with invasive breast carcinoma of NST type.

Keywords:

Lymph nodes – axillary nodes – epithelial inclusions