Therapeutic management of intracystic papillary carcinoma of the breast: the roles of radiation and endocrine therapy

Background The role of radiation and endocrine therapy in the treatment of intracystic papillary carcinoma (IPC) remains unclear. The aim of the current study was to review the management of IPC in order to determine factors associated with use of adjuvant therapies. Methods A retrospective review of our surgical and pathology databases from 1995–2006 identified 45 women with IPC. These patients were further divided into those with pure IPC (n = 21), IPC with associated ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) (n = 18), and IPC with associated microinvasion with or without DCIS (n = 6). Patient characteristics were compared between groups using the chi-square test. Results Patients with IPC and microinvasion were more likely to undergo an axillary staging procedure (6/6, 100%) compared to patients with pure IPC (6/21, 29%) or IPC with DCIS (5/18, 28%) (P < .001). Patients with pure IPC were less likely to have radiation therapy than patients with IPC and DCIS or microinvasion (P < .001). However, within the subset of patients with pure IPC, women less than 50 years of age were more likely to have radiation therapy than those older than 50 years (P < .001). Patients with IPC and DCIS or microinvasion had significantly increased use of endocrine therapy versus patients with pure IPC (P < .01). Conclusions In our patient population, those patients with IPC and associated DCIS or microinvasion are treated with adjuvant radiation and endocrine therapy on the basis of this associated pathology. The use of adjuvant radiation and/or endocrine therapy should be considered in patients with pure IPC who are of young age (<50 years).