Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Clin Oncol. Jun 24, 2026; 17(6): 121496
Published online Jun 24, 2026. doi: 10.5306/wjco.121496
Published online Jun 24, 2026. doi: 10.5306/wjco.121496
Lymph node extramedullary hematopoiesis in breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy: A case report
Ping Xing, Zhi-Gang Chen, Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
Ping Xing, Department of Surgical Oncology, Enze Hospital, Taizhou Enze Medical Center, Taizhou 318050, Zhejiang Province, China
Hai-Li Jin, Hua-Rong Luo, Mei-Fu Gan, Department of Pathology, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou 317000, Zhejiang Province, China
Hai-Li Jin, Hua-Rong Luo, Department of Pathology, Enze Hospital, Taizhou Enze Medical Center, Taizhou 318050, Zhejiang Province, China
Jian Huang, Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Mei-Fu Gan and Jian Huang.
Author contributions: Xing P, Chen ZG, Jin HL, Luo HR, Gan MF, and Huang J designed the study; Xing P, Chen ZG, and Jin HL collected the clinical data; Luo HR and Gan MF performed the pathological and immunohistochemical examinations; Xing P drafted the manuscript; Huang J and Gan MF critically revised the manuscript and they contribute equally to this study as co-corresponding authors; all authors approved the final version.
AI contribution statement: AI tools were used solely for language polishing and grammatical refinement to improve readability and academic expression. All core content, including scientific ideas, data, and conclusions, were independently developed by the authors.
Informed consent statement: The patient has signed the written informed consent form for the collection of personal and medical data before the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Corresponding author: Mei-Fu Gan, Department of Pathology, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, No. 150 Ximen Street, Taizhou 317000, Zhejiang Province, China. ganmf@enzemed.com
Received: March 30, 2026
Revised: May 5, 2026
Accepted: June 4, 2026
Published online: June 24, 2026
Processing time: 85 Days and 5.5 Hours
Revised: May 5, 2026
Accepted: June 4, 2026
Published online: June 24, 2026
Processing time: 85 Days and 5.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This is the first case report of trilineage extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) in axillary lymph nodes after neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy with a PD-1 inhibitor for triple-negative breast cancer. It highlights a benign mimic of malignancy, emphasizes granulocyte colony-stimulating factor as an initiator of EMH, and speculatively links PD-1 blockade to EMH persistence. Recognition prevents misdiagnosis and underscores systemic therapy effects.