High-Grade Ductal Carcinoma In Situ of the Breast With Regressive Changes: Radiological and Clinicopathological Findings

Tumour regression is defined as continuity of changes leading to the elimination of a neoplastic population and is reflected as periductal fibrosis and intraductal tumour attenuation. The aim of this study was to describe the radiological and clinicopathological characteristics of high-grade breast ductal carcinoma (DCIS) with regressive changes (RC). Thirty-two cases of high-grade DCIS with RC on biopsy specimens followed by excision were included. The mammographic, ultrasonographic (US), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of cases were retrospectively reviewed according to the breast imaging reporting and data system (BI-RADS) lexicon. Clinical and histopathological findings [comedonecrosis, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status and Ki-67 proliferation index] were recorded. The rate of upgrade to invasive cancer after surgical excision and lymph node involvement were evaluated. The most common mammographic finding was microcalcifications alone (68.8%). The most frequently seen findings on US were microcalcifications only (21.9%), followed by microcalcifications and hypoechoic area (18.7%). On MRI, most lesions presented as clumped non-mass enhancement with segmental distribution. ER/PR negativity (53.1%, 65.6%), HER2 positivity (56.3%) and high Ki-67 (62.5%), which are known to be associated with more aggressive behavior, were found to be proportionally higher. The rate of upgrade to invasive cancer was 21.8%. DCIS with RC lesions present most often as microcalcifications alone on both mammography and US. MRI features are not distinguishable from those of other DCIS lesions. DCIS with RC lesions show biomarker status reflecting more aggressive behavior and high upgrade rate to invasive cancer.