Metaplastic breast carcinoma; melanocytic variant, a very rare tumour

Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare heterogeneous malignancy, accounting for <1% of all invasive breast carcinomas, in which adenocarcinoma is found to coexist with an admixture of spindle, squamous, chondroid or bone-forming neoplastic cells. Melanocytic variant was first described by Ruffolo et al. in 1997. We report a case of MBC, melanocytic variant, in a 57-year-old Nigerian female who presented with a left breast mass 8 cm in diameter in the upper outer quadrant, hard and gradually increase in size to become painful. Breast examination showed gross asymmetry. Left breast was oedematous and shiny with extensive peau d'orange. No palpable axillary nodes were seen. Chest X-ray and abdominal ultrasound scan showed no involvement. Breast biopsy revealed an invasive metaplastic ductal carcinoma with melanocytic differentiation.