Metaplastic breast carcinoma: Current therapeutic approaches and novel targeted therapies

Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare subtype of invasive breast cancer consisting of various combinations of malignant epithelial and mesenchymal cells. Its aggressive growth pattern combined with its histological heterogeneity account for MBC's characteristic resistance to systemic therapies, which subsequently leads to increased risk of recurrence and breast cancer mortality compared with other invasive mammary carcinomas. The aim of this review is to discuss the current therapeutic approaches, both in loco-regional as well as in systemic management of MBC. With the accumulation of knowledge from histopathologic assessment and the increasing identification of underlying molecular aberrations, emerging, novel targeted therapies will enable physicians to implement a more individualized and efficacious therapeutic strategy, leading hopefully to an improvement in the poor prognosis of MBC.