{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,17]],"date-time":"2025-11-17T16:59:51Z","timestamp":1763398791387,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"19","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,6]],"date-time":"2023-10-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1696550400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diagnostics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Since there are no morphological clues capable of making a pathologist suspect a possible mammary origin of a metastatic lesion without adequate clinical information, the histologic diagnosis of brain metastasis from BC is still based on the immunohistochemical expression of mammary gland markers such as GATA-3, ERs, PgRs and HER-2. The present retrospective study aimed to select purely morphological features capable of suggesting the mammary origin of a metastatic carcinoma in the brain. The following histological features were collected from a series of 30 cases of brain metastases from breast cancer: (i) a solid growth pattern; (ii) the presence of comedonecrosis; and (iii) glandular differentiation. Our results showed that most cases histologically exhibited a solid growth pattern with at least focal comedonecrosis, producing an overall morphology closely reminiscent of mammary high-grade ductal carcinoma in situ. Although the above-mentioned morphological parameters are not strictly specific to a mammary origin, they may have an important diagnostic utility for leading pathologists to suspect a possible breast primary tumor and to include GATA-3, ERs, PgRs and HER-2 in the immunohistochemical panel.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics13193141","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,9]],"date-time":"2023-10-09T04:48:24Z","timestamp":1696826904000},"page":"3141","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Brain Metastases from Breast Cancer Histologically Exhibit Solid Growth Pattern with at Least Focal Comedonecrosis: A Histopathologic Study on a Monocentric Series of 30 Cases"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5101-7836","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jessica","family":"Farina","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies \u201cG.F. Ingrassia\u201d, Anatomic Pathology, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4808-2052","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Angelico","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies \u201cG.F. Ingrassia\u201d, Anatomic Pathology, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6377-9678","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giada Maria","family":"Vecchio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies \u201cG.F. Ingrassia\u201d, Anatomic Pathology, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lucia","family":"Salvatorelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies \u201cG.F. Ingrassia\u201d, Anatomic Pathology, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gaetano","family":"Magro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies \u201cG.F. Ingrassia\u201d, Anatomic Pathology, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0466-1389","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lidia","family":"Puzzo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies \u201cG.F. Ingrassia\u201d, Anatomic Pathology, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2299-5160","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrea","family":"Palicelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathology Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8733-9933","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Magda","family":"Zanelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathology Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2671-4944","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roberto","family":"Altieri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurological Surgery, Policlinico \u201cG. Rodolico-S. Marco\u201d University Hospital, 95121 Catania, Italy"},{"name":"Interdisciplinary Research Center on Brain Tumors Diagnosis and Treatment, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francesco","family":"Certo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurological Surgery, Policlinico \u201cG. Rodolico-S. Marco\u201d University Hospital, 95121 Catania, Italy"},{"name":"Interdisciplinary Research Center on Brain Tumors Diagnosis and Treatment, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0387-5921","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Saveria","family":"Spadola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathology Unit, Cannizzaro Hospital, 95126 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9841-7856","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maurizio","family":"Zizzo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Surgical Oncology Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giuseppe Maria Vincenzo","family":"Barbagallo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurological Surgery, Policlinico \u201cG. Rodolico-S. Marco\u201d University Hospital, 95121 Catania, Italy"},{"name":"Interdisciplinary Research Center on Brain Tumors Diagnosis and Treatment, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8591-8010","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rosario","family":"Caltabiano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies \u201cG.F. Ingrassia\u201d, Anatomic Pathology, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2576-6523","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Broggi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies \u201cG.F. 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