Patients with breast carcinoma metastatic to the colon generally present with multiple symptoms, usually pain, vomiting, nausea, and ascites. We describe a patient who presented only with persistent diarrhea, underwent surgery for colon cancer, and, on pathological evaluation of the surgical specimen, was found to have metastatic breast cancer affecting the colon. Metastatic breast cancer should therefore be suspected in patients with a history of breast cancer and diarrhea of unknown cause that is not accompanied by other symptoms. Evaluating such patients by colonoscopy and biopsy would provide important information relevant to choosing between colon surgery and systemic therapy.

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Metastasis to the breast is uncommon, with an incidence of 0.5–3%. Alveolar soft part sarcoma is rare, accounting for <1% of malignant soft tissue tumors, which are themselves unusual. Excluding contralateral breast and hematologic malignant disease, the primary lesion in most cases of metastasis to the breast is melanoma, small cell carcinoma of the lung, or ovarian carcinoma, although rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common primary tumor in children. We describe a 26‐year‐old woman with no history of malignant disease who presented with two masses in the right breast that clinical evaluations and ultrasonography indicated were fibroadenomas. Pathological studies after excisional biopsy, however, indicated alveolar soft part sarcoma. Subsequent computed tomography showed the primary tumor in the anterior left thigh and multiple bilateral lung metastases. Because of the presence of distant metastases, the patient was treated with chemotherapy. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Carcinoid tumors are rare but diverse group of malignancies that arise from neuroendocrine cells. Skeletal muscle metastasis is exceedingly rare and is associated with a poor prognosis. We report a case of carcinoid tumor of the ileocecal with skeletal muscle metastasis. We also review available case reports of carcinoid tumors metastasizing to the muscle.