73A - New breast cancer classification. PART II

Three fluid-producing organs - the breasts, salivary glands and the prostate - are very similar in their structure and function. The acini in the glands produce fluid that is collected in a collecting duct. The content of the duct is emptied through an opening at the end of the duct. Carcinoma can originate in the acini and in the ducts. The histopathologic terminology of the salivary glands and the prostate take the site of origin of the cancer into account: cancers originating from the acini are termed: AAP (acinar adenocarcinoma of the prostate or acinar adenocarcinoma of the parotid gland); cancers originating in the major ducts are termed DAP (ductal adenocarcinoma of the prostate the parotid gland). Despite the similar structure and function of the breasts, the terminology of breast cancers do not take the site of origin into account. Our classification suggests a radical changed calls for using the AAB versos DAB terms to describe the acinar adenocarcinoma of the breast (AAB) and the ductal adenocarcinoma of the breast (DAB) respectively. The long-term outcome of is directly related to the site of origin of the cancer which makes unifying terminology in all fluid producing cancer important. This is PART II of two lectures.