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Hematologic breast malignancies: a single-institution cohort study of 24 patients diagnosed between January 2008 and June 2023, with clinicopathological and outcome analysis

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Hematologic breast malignancies (HBM) are rare and heterogeneous neoplasms that account for less than 1% of breast malignancies and may clinically and morphologically mimic primary breast carcinoma. We retrospectively analyzed 24 patients diagnosed with HBM at a single tertiary institution between January 2008 and June 2023 to describe their clinicopathological characteristics, treatment patterns and outcomes. The mean age at diagnosis was 60.3 ± 19.8 years, and the median age was 60.5 years (IQR 53.0-75.5); 23 patients (95.8%) were women. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was the most frequent subtype (n=8, 33.3%), followed by MALT lymphoma (n=5, 20.8%). Based on the clinical and staging information retrospectively available, 21 cases (87.5%) were classified as primary breast involvement and 3 (12.5%) as secondary involvement. All diagnoses were established by image-guided core needle biopsy. Systemic chemotherapy was administered to 19 patients (79.2%), radiotherapy to 9 (37.5%), and mastectomy to 2 (8.3%); the remaining 22 patients were managed without breast resection. After a crude median observed duration of 86.9 months (range 7.9-217.6), 11 patients (45.8%) had experienced progression or relapse and 13 (54.2%) had died. Only 3 deaths were attributed to progression of the hematologic malignancy. Median overall survival was 115.7 months (95% CI 54.9-not reached), whereas disease-specific survival was not reached. These findings highlight the importance of core needle biopsy and appropriate hematolymphoid lineage assessment in avoiding unnecessary breast surgery. Outcomes should be interpreted descriptively given the small, histologically heterogeneous cohort and the limitations inherent to its retrospective design.

Source: Frontiers in Oncology

DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2026.1925669