Clinical and pathologic features of ductal carcinoma in situ associated with the presence of flat epithelial atypia: an analysis of 543 patients.

Flat epithelial atypia is an alteration of mammary terminal duct lobular units that is considered to be a precursor to, or early stage in, the development of some forms of ductal carcinoma in situ. No prior study has systematically evaluated the relationship between various clinico-pathologic features of ductal carcinoma in situ and the presence of coexistent flat epithelial atypia. An understanding of such relationships could provide insight into the connection between flat epithelial atypia and ductal carcinoma in situ. We reviewed slides from 543 ductal carcinoma in situ patients enrolled in a case-control study assessing epidemiologic and pathologic risk factors for local recurrence. We examined the association between the presence of flat epithelial atypia and various clinical factors, pathologic features of the ductal carcinoma in situ, and the presence of coexistent atypical ductal hyperplasia, lobular neoplasia, and non-atypical columnar cell lesions. In univariate analysis, the presence of flat epithelial atypia was significantly related to ductal carcinoma in situ nuclear grade (most common in low grade, least common in high grade; P<0.0001), architectural pattern (most common in micropapillary and cribriform, least common in comedo; P<0.0001), absence of comedo necrosis (P<0.001), absence of stromal desmoplasia (P=0.02) and absence of stromal inflammation (P=0.03). In multivariable analysis, features of ductal carcinoma in situ independently associated with flat epithelial atypia were micropapillary and cribriform patterns and absence of comedo necrosis. Additionally, flat epithelial atypia was significantly associated with the presence of atypical ductal hyperplasia, lobular neoplasia, and columnar cell lesions in both univariate and multivariable analyses. These observations provide support for a precursor-product relationship between flat epithelial atypia and ductal carcinoma in situ lesions that exhibit particular features such as micropapillary and cribriform patterns and absence of comedo necrosis.