Trichorhinophalangeal syndrome type 1 (TRPS1) expression in male breast carcinoma

Currently, there is a paucity of highly specific and sensitive markers to identify breast carcinoma in male patients. Immunohistochemical stains commonly used for unmasking primary breast carcinomas include estrogen receptor (ER) and GATA3. However, these markers are commonly expressed in carcinomas originating from other organ systems and can be reduced in breast carcinomas with higher histologic grades. Androgen receptor (AR) may be used to highlight primary male breast cancer, but this marker can also be expressed in other carcinomas. We evaluated TRPS1, a highly sensitive and specific marker for female breast carcinoma, in cases of male breast carcinoma. Through an institutional database search, we identified 72 cases of primary invasive breast carcinoma in male patients. Among ER/progesterone receptor (PR)-positive cancers, 97% showed intermediate or high positivity for both TRPS1 and GATA3. Among HER2-positive cancers, 100% showed intermediate or high positivity for TRPS1 and GATA3. One case of triple-negative breast cancer was collected, showing high positivity for TRPS1 and negativity for GATA3. AR staining was non-specific and heterogeneous: 76% showed high positivity, but the remaining 24% showed low or intermediate positivity. Additionally, among 29 cases of metastatic carcinoma to male breast tissue, 93% were negative for TRPS1, and the remaining 2 cases (7%), which were carcinomas from salivary gland primary tumors, were intermediate positive. TRPS1 is a sensitive and specific marker in the unmasking of male primary invasive breast carcinoma across different subtypes. Additionally, TRPS1 is not expressed in metastatic carcinomas of multiple primaries, with the exception of salivary gland primaries.