Solitary Small Bowel Metastasis from Breast Cancer

Abstract

The common sites of metastasis of breast cancer are bone, lung, and liver, but gastrointestinal metastasis from breast cancer is rare. We experienced a case of solitary ileal metastasis from breast cancer. A 45-years-old woman presented with melena for several weeks. She showed no other abdominal symptoms. Colonoscopy findings showed an ulcerative mucosal lesion in the terminal ileum, and biopsy was performed. Pathologic examination revealed metastatic carcinoma, originated from breast. The tumor cells were positive for estrogen receptor and negative for Cdx-2. She had had a previous medical history of bilateral breast cancer and undergone breast conserving surgery with sentinel lymph node biopsy for both breasts. The torso positron emission tomography scan at 19 months after surgery showed mildly increased uptake in the terminal ileum which was considered as inflammation. Finally, she was diagnosed with solitary ileal metastasis from breast cancer at 22 months after surgery.

Single Jejunum Metastasis from Breast Cancer Arising Twelve Years after the Initial Treatment

“…He also found that LC was prone to metastasize in a more “diffuse” fashion, with multiple tiny nodules that became confluent, while DC metastases formed nodular masses. Our patient had a metastasis of DC to the small bowel, which is a rare event but has been described previously [ 6 , 8 – 11 ].…”

Triple negative invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast presents as small bowel obstruction

“…Of those cases, the original breast cancer is usually lobular with receptor positive histology that effects the terminal ileum rather than the rest of the small bowel [4]. Our case is one of few instances where invasive lobular carcinoma metastasizes to the proximal small bowel [19] and the first case reported in the US of triple negative invasive lobular carcinoma metastasizing to the jejunum [20].…”

Small Bowel Metastatic Cancer Observed With Double Balloon Enteroscopy in a Patient With a Past History of Multiple Cancers

“…Primary cancers of the colon, ovary, uterus, and stomach are usually spread to the small bowel by direct invasion or intraperitoneal spread, whereas primary cancers from the breast, lung, and melanoma metastasize to the small bowel by a hematogenous route. 8 The overall incidence of metastatic small bowel cancer is very low, and as mentioned earlier, most metastatic cancers have neither specific symptoms nor signs until they cause small bowel obstruction. Therefore, it is very difficult to detect metastatic small bowel cancer.…”