Intramammary metastases: comparison of mammographic and ultrasound features

A Spectrum of Metastases to the Breast: Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation

Metastases to the breast from non-mammary origin are rare. The majority of these lesions appear as secondary manifestations of melanoma and lymphoma, followed by lung carcinomas, gynecological carcinomas, and sarcomas. There has been a steady trend of an increase in diagnosis of intramammary metastases owing to the current advances in imaging technology. Imaging features depend on the type of primary neoplasm and route of dissemination, some of which resemble primary breast cancer and benign breast entities. There are certain imaging features that raise the level of suspicion for metastases in the correct clinical context. However, imaging manifestations of intramammary metastases do not always comply with the known classic patterns. The aim of this review is to clarify these features, emphasizing radiologic-pathologic correlation and a multidisciplinary approach, since most cases are found in patients with advanced disease.

Metastatic breast cancer from a hepatocellular carcinoma: a case report

Breast metastases from extramammary malignancies are rare. Here, we report a case of breast metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after breast mass excision in a 63-year-old woman. A new breast nodule was noticed after transarterial chemoembolization, transarterial radioembolization, and stereotactic body radiation therapy for HCC. Breast ultrasound and core needle biopsy were performed to differentiate between the breast tumors. The biopsy result was invasive breast carcinoma, and wide excision of the breast was performed. The final pathological diagnosis was HCC breast metastasis based on histological findings and immunohistochemical staining results. After 9 months of follow-up, HCC and breast metastasis recurred. Despite palliative treatment, the patient died due to complications and general health deterioration. Although breast metastasis due to HCC is very rare, HCC breast metastasis should be considered when a new breast mass is discovered in a patient with a history of HCC for effective treatment and management.

Bilateral breast metastases as the first manifestation of an occult pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor

Breast metastases are uncommon findings compared to primary breast cancer and in particular bilateral secondary breast lesions from neuroendocrine tumor (NET)s are extremely rare with just less over 13 cases described in literature. We reported herewith the case of a 54-year-old woman who presented to our Breast Unit after noticing multiple, mobile, bilateral breast lumps. Imaging studies confirmed the presence of multiple, circumscribed, bilateral breast masses with slightly spiculated margins, classified as suspicious for malignancy (BI-RADS 4). A tru-cut biopsy was carried out on the largest lesion of each side and histopathologic and immunohistochemistry examination was consistent with metastases from pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET). Total-body CT revealed the presence of a mass located in the pancreatic body - tail with associated abdominal lymphadenopathies and multiple secondary nodules in bilateral breast and in the liver. Stage IV disease was diagnosed, patient did not undergo surgery and started LAR – octreotide therapy. Although rare, breast metastases from NETs represent an important diagnostic challenge for practitioners because of the difficulty to differentiate from a primary breast carcinoma or even from benign breast lesions. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of bilateral breast metastases in differential diagnosis of breast lesions in order to ensure the correct diagnosis and the most appropriate management of these patients.

Metastatic breast tumors from extramammary malignancies: a case series

Background

Metastatic breast tumors from extramammary malignancies are quite rare. Characteristics of such tumors are unclear due to small number of reported cases. During 2012–2019, approximately 3,500 malignant breast tumors were diagnosed with needle biopsy at our hospital and we experienced three cases (0.09%) of metastatic extramammary malignancies. We herein report these cases focused on imaging and pathological findings.

Case presentation

The first case was a 59-year-old woman who underwent curative surgery for thyroid cancer. After developing lung and ovarian metastases, she visited our department with a mass in her right breast. Ultrasound revealed a 7 mm-sized oval mass. With high depth–width ratio and abundant blood flow, primary breast cancer was suspected. Core needle biopsy revealed atypical cells with nuclear grooves proliferating in papillary formation. With immunohistochemical examination, her final diagnosis was metastatic thyroid cancer. The second case was a 74-year-old woman with metastatic spinal tumors and referred to our department for searching primary tumor. She was diagnosed with gastric cancer at the age of 41. Ultrasound revealed a hypoechoic area including cysts and the internal echo level was uneven. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging showed a non-mass lesion with heterogeneous internal enhancement pattern, suggesting ductal carcinoma in situ. Core needle biopsy showed alveolar lesion with predominant signet cell-like morphology. We histologically diagnosed her disease as metastatic gastric cancer. The last case was 33-year woman with Stage IV clear cell sarcoma of the left foot. She came to our department after she felt a lump on her right breast. Ultrasound revealed a 45 mm-sized mass. Her disease was confirmed as metastatic clear cell sarcoma by needle biopsy.

Conclusions

Imaging suggested malignancies, but it was difficult to distinguish them from primary breast cancer. Our cases indicate that metastatic tumors to the breast might have imaging patterns specific to primary organs, although more cases should be accumulated to establish such patterns on imaging. The first two cases shared some similar pathological findings with breast cancer, but also had some histological characteristics of the primary tumors. Hence, it was possible to diagnose these cases as metastatic tumors with careful observation.

Metastasis to breast from ovarian cancer and primary ovarian cancer concurrently diagnosis

Metastasis to breast from ovarian cancer is very rare, and it is very difficult to distinguish the primary breast cancer from the secondary one. In our case, a 61-year-old woman presented to the hospital with complaints of lower abdominal pain and distention. Abdominal-pelvic computed tomography (CT) imaging revealed a solid ovarian cystic tumor with numerable ascites in the abdominal cavity and disseminated peritoneal carcinomatosis. To confirm the presence of metastasis in other organs, a preoperative imaging studies including chest CT was performed. Chest CT imaging revealed an enlargement of both the axillary lymph nodes (r/o metastatic lymphadenopathy) and breast imaging studies (breast sonography and mammography) revealed masses penetrated the pectoralis major muscle in the left breast and metastatic lymphadenopathy in Lt axilla. The core needle biopsy result of breast lesion showed unknown origin carcinoma with micropapillary features and no psammoma bodies. So, we could not distinguish primary breast cancer and breast metastasis from ovarian cancer because breast metastasis from ovary could be contained psammoma bodies, generally. Although the possibility of primary breast cancer could not be ruled out absolutely, the neoadjuvant chemotherapy included Paclitaxel and Carboplatin is known to be effective for both breast and ovarian cancer. So after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, mastectomy concurrently with ovarian cancer surgery was performed. The histopathologic features of the ovaries and breast were similar and psammoma bodies also could be observed, which were not detected in previous core needle biopsied specimen. And lymph nodes from the breast and the ovaries also showed consistent findings. Combined with histopathologic report and medical records, the final diagnosis confirmed as a metastasis of ovarian cancer to breast. After surgery, the patient has continued with metastatic ovarian cancer specific treatment. Breast metastatic tumors must be distinguished from primary breast tumors to avoid any unnecessary surgery. It might be difficult to diagnosis precisely by using only core needle biopsy because of inadequate specimen volume. Although surgical resection may be effective for both diagnosis and palliative treatment, further studies focused on less invasive biopsy are needed for exact histopathological diagnosis.

Systemic diseases affecting the breast: Imaging, diagnosis, and management

Various systemic diseases of benign or malignant etiologies can clinically manifest in the breast. Some imaging findings of breast lesions can be pathognomonic for a given condition, while others are non-specific, mimicking primary breast carcinoma and requiring tissue biopsy for definitive diagnosis. In addition to obtaining a detailed clinical history, radiologists should be familiar with the diverse clinical and imaging characteristics of these conditions to help exclude primary breast cancer and avoid unnecessary interventions. This review aims to discuss the clinical presentations, imaging features, pathologic findings, and management of systemic conditions that may affect the breast.

BRCA-2 (+) high-grade serous fallopian tube cancer diagnosed as an isolated breast mass by mammography

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High grade serous carcinomas rarely present as oligometastases.

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Oligometastases of Mullerian carcinoma to the breast are very rare.

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PARP inhibitors are an effective maintenance therapy in patients with BRCA mutations.

Ovarian cancer typically presents at advanced stage with intra-abdominal metastases. Rarely, ovarian cancer presents with distant metastases with little to no intra-abdominal disease burden. The patient was a BRCA-2 germline mutation carrier diagnosed with a Stage IVB high-grade carcinoma of the fallopian tube following discovery of a right axillary breast mass on screening mammography. Pre-operative imaging was without evidence of metastatic disease in the abdomen or pelvis. She underwent surgical staging followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and maintenance poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibition. She is without evidence of disease 24 months following her surgical staging procedure. An isolated oligo metastasis in the axilla is a rare presentation of ovarian carcinoma. Extra-abdominal metastases can present a diagnostic challenge in ovarian cancer necessitating thorough pathologic and radiologic work-up, particularly in the absence of intra-abdominal disease.

<p>Metastasis of Ovarian Cancer to Breast: A Case Report and Review of Imaging Manifestations</p>

Metastasis of ovarian cancer to breast (MOCB) is rare, and the diagnosis is difficult due to the varied imaging manifestations. The objective of this paper is to report a special case of MOCB, review the imaging manifestations of MOCB and attempt to determine the characteristic imaging features that might be helpful in making the diagnosis and providing appropriate systemic therapy. A 40-year-old woman presented with a breast lesion six years after a diagnosis of ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma. Ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations were performed; the final diagnosis was metastasis of ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma to breast according to the histological examination and immunohistochemical examination after lumpectomy. Herein, we reviewed 41 cases diagnosed with MOCB, which include imaging of the metastatic breast lesion or a detailed description without imaging. In this review, we summarized that MOCB could present with calcifications (especially microcalcifications) on mammography (MM). MOCB presenting as inflammatory breast cancer usually shows swelling and skin thickening on MM and US, and increased fludeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake on positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). These manifestations could be helpful in differentiating malignant tumors from benign ones, but it may still be difficult to distinguish between primary and metastatic tumors. The correct diagnosis of MOCB requires a combination of the clinical history of the primary tumor, careful clinical examination, radiology and anatomic pathological evaluation.

Renal Cell Carcinoma Diagnosis After Initial Detection on Screening Mammogram

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) defines a varied class of primary renal neoplasms which arise from the renal cortex. Because RCC often progresses silently to a very advanced metastatic stage, the majority of RCC cases are diagnosed either incidentally on abdominal imaging or upon presentation of invasive disease at metastatic sites. This case profiles a 57-year-old woman with distant history of resected RCC who presented with a posterior breast mass that was diagnosed as metastatic recurrence of RCC through mammogram, ultrasound, and core biopsy. Although the breast is an unusual site for metastasis, clinicians should consider metastatic RCC as a possible etiology when evaluating women with history of RCC and a newly discovered breast mass.

Ovarian Cancer Metastasis to the Breast: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Although ovarian cancer often presents as a widespread disease, metastases to the breast and/or axillary lymph nodes are a very rare event, accounting for only 0.03-0.6% of all breast cancers. Its early recognition and accurate distinction from primary breast cancer are of crucial importance to choose an adequate systemic therapy over unnecessary surgeries. We presented the case of a 53-year-old woman who was diagnosed with breast metastases 2 years after the diagnosis of advanced primary serous ovarian cancer. The patient underwent primary cytoreductive surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy in combination with bevacizumab, followed by bevacizumab maintenance for 18 months. After 2 years of negative follow-ups, the disease unexpectedly spread to the left breast and axillary lymph nodes. No axillary lymph node dissection or breast surgery was performed. The patient received axillary radiotherapy and multiple chemotherapy lines: gemcitabine/cisplatin, liposomal doxorubicin, topotecan, olaparib/cediranib, paclitaxel, and cisplatin. Unfortunately, none of these treatments improved her prognosis and she died 3 years after the disease recurrence. Ovarian cancer metastasis to the breast reveals a disseminated disease with a poor prognosis. Currently, no valid treatment options are available as the disease shows multidrug chemoresistance. In the era of precision medicine, the characterization of genetic and molecular markers may play a role in offering new promising targeted therapies.

A Case Series of Breast Metastases from Different Extramammary Malignancies and Their Literature Review

Metastasis to the breast from all other primary sites is unusual. Twelve patients were diagnosed between 2007 and 2017 at National Cancer Institute, Mexico. Solitary or multiple masses, round or oval, and hypoechoic and solid lesions with posterior acoustic shadowing were patterns commonly reported in these patients; other arrangements include diffuse involvement of the breast simulating an inflammatory carcinoma. The development of a breast metastasis is revealed, in our experience, as a negative prognostic factor. Thus, the radiologist should know about the varied appearance of metastatic breast lesions and provide radiopathological correlations when available.

Breast metastasis from ovarian cancer: A case report

Breast metastasis from ovarian cancer is a rare event, with vary clinical and imaging presentations, depends on the form of dissemination of the disease and may mimic primary benign and malignant lesions.Confirmation of the diagnosis is of pivotal importance to choice an adequate therapeutic planning, allowing to avoid unnecessary surgeries and to provide appropriate systemic therapy. In this manuscript, we present a case of breast metastasis from ovarian cancer. The patient presented to our Institute with a localized, palpable mass in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast. Mammography and breast sonography showed a singular, round, and homogenous mass with regular borders. No suspicious axillary node was observed. Lesion biopsy revealed the presence of epithelial malignant tumor cells, compatible with a tube-ovarian serous histotype. So, although it could be rare, secondary malignant neoplasm should be considered in the differential diagnosis of breast lesions in patients with a personal history of ovarian cancer.

[Imaging diagnostics of breast metastases from extramammary tumors]

Breast metastases of solid extramammary tumors are very rare in comparison to primary malignancies of the breast and account for only 0.33-6.3% of all malignant neoplasms of the breast. The most common primary tumors are malignant melanoma, distant sarcomas, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, renal cell cancer and thyroid cancer in decreasing order of frequency. This review article summarizes the clinical features and the different imaging findings of breast metastases from different extramammary solid tumors. Breast metastases are often incidental findings in computed tomography (CT) or positron emission tomography CT (PET-CT) imaging. Mammography shows two different imaging patterns, namely focal lesions and diffuse architectural distortion with skin thickening. Breast metastases presenting as focal masses usually occur as solitary and more rarely as multiple round lesions with a smooth edge boundary. Associated calcifications are rare findings. Diffuse architectural distortion with skin thickening is more common in breast metastases from most gastric tumors, ovarian cancer and rhabdomyosarcoma. Using ultrasound most lesions are hypoechoic, oval or round with smooth boundaries and posterior acoustic enhancement. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) criteria of breast metastases show an inconstant signal behavior that cannot be safely classified as benign or malignant. In summary, in patients with known malignancies the presence of breast metastases should be considered even with imposing clinically and radiologically benign findings.

Breast metastases from extramammary malignancies: multimodality imaging aspects

Breast metastases from extramammary cancers are rare and usually related to poor prognosis. The extramammary tumours most frequently exhibiting breast metastases are melanoma, lymphomas, ovarian cancer, lung and neuroendocrine tumours, and sarcomas. Owing to the lack of reliable and specific clinical or radiological signs for the diagnosis of breast metastases, a combination of techniques is needed to differentiate these lesions from primary breast carcinoma or even benign breast lesions. Multiple imaging methods may be used to evaluate these patients, including mammography, ultrasound, MRI, CT and positron emission tomography CT. Clinical and imaging manifestations are varied, depend on the form of dissemination of the disease and may mimic primary benign and malignant breast lesions. Haematologically disseminated metastases often develop as a circumscribed mass, whereas lymphatic dissemination often presents as diffuse breast oedema and skin thickening. Unlike primary carcinomas, breast metastases generally do not have spiculated margins, skin or nipple retraction. Microlobulated or indistinct margins may be present in some cases. Although calcifications are not frequently present in metastatic lesions, they occur more commonly in patients with ovarian cancer. Although rare, secondary malignant neoplasms should be considered in the differential diagnosis of breast lesions, in the appropriate clinical setting. Knowledge of the most common imaging features can help to provide the correct diagnosis and adequate therapeutic planning.

miR-200c Regulation of Metastases in Ovarian Cancer: Potential Role in Epithelial and Mesenchymal Transition

Among the gynecological malignancies, ovarian cancer is the most fatal due to its high mortality rate. Most of the identified cases are epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) with five distinct subtypes: high-grade serous carcinoma, low-grade serous carcinoma, mucinous carcinoma, endometrioid carcinoma, and clear-cell carcinoma. Lack of an early diagnostic approach, high incidence of tumor relapse and the heterogenous characteristics between each EOC subtypes contribute to the difficulties in developing precise intervention and therapy for the patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded RNAs that have been shown to function as tumor suppressors or oncomiRs. The miR-200 family, especially miR-200c, has been shown to be implicated in the metastasis and invasion of ovarian carcinoma due to its functional regulation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This mini review is aimed to summarize the recent findings of the miR-200c functional role as well as its validated targets in the metastasis cascade of ovarian cancer, with a focus on EMT regulation. The potential of this miRNA in early diagnosis and its dual expression status are also discussed.

Metastasis of ovarian cancer to the breast: A report of two cases and a review of the literature

Metastasis of ovarian cancer to the breast (MOCB) is a rare event. Clinical presentations of MOCB vary and surgery is the mainstay of treatment. The current study presents two cases of MOCB in women with recurrent ovarian cancer first diagnosed in April 2011 and October 2013, respectively. The patients presented to the clinic with a localized, palpable, painful mass in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast and a centrally localized, palpable, painful mass of the left breast, respectively. Breast sonography and mammography showed a singular, round, homogenous tumor with irregular borders in each case. An ipsilateral enlarged axillary node was palpable in one case. Tumor biopsy revealed an undifferentiated adenocarcinoma of unknown origin in one case and a moderately-differentiated adenocarcinoma suspected to be breast cancer in the other case. Tumor cells were positive for estrogen receptor and paired box 8, and negative for GATA binding protein 3 in the two cases. Palliative mastectomy was performed in one case and lumpectomy with ipsilateral axillary sentinel node biopsy in the other case, and the final histology revealed MOCB in each. The post-operative course of the disease was uneventful and the patients continued with their ovarian cancer-specific chemotherapy. One patient succumbed to disease progression 2 months after breast surgery. The other patient remains alive and is currently undergoing systemic chemotherapy. The current study also presents a review of 110 cases of MOCB identified in a literature search of Pubmed. Data from these studies, including the clinical and histological characteristics of MOCB, and the clinical management and prognosis are discussed. Overall, MOCB is rare, with distinct clinical and histological features. The disease is usually treated with local surgical excision or mastectomy and has a poor prognosis.

Magnetic resonance imaging findings of intramammary metastases

The purpose of this study was to identify magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of intramammary metastases (IM). We identified 8 cases with IM, which were investigated by breast MRI (1.5T). In every case, the diagnosis of IM was proven histopathologically on breast biopsy specimens. Overall, 187 IM were identified. IM had inconsistent MRI features, which cannot be clearly classify as benign or malignant. IM should be taken into consideration in the differential diagnosis of breast lesions to avoid possible misinterpretations.

Solitary breast metastasis from myxoid liposarcoma

Background

Metastasis to the breast from nonmammary malignancies is rare, and mostly involves patients in a pre-terminal condition with systemic metastases outside the breast. Lymphoma and leukemia, melanoma, and lung carcinoma are the most common primary malignancies to cause breast metastasis; metastasis of soft tissue sarcoma to the breast is very rare. Here, we report a case of primary lower-extremity myxoid liposarcoma with the development of a solitary metastasis to the breast. To the best of our knowledge, no isolated case reports of solitary breast metastasis by myxoid liposarcoma have been previously reported in the English-language literature.

Case presentation

The patient, a 66-year-old woman, had been previously diagnosed with myxoid liposarcoma of the right thigh. At 21 months after complete surgical resection of the primary tumor with negative margins, a palpable tumor was identified in the patient’s left breast. Needle biopsy revealed the presence of metastatic liposarcoma; positron emission tomography/computed tomography examination confirmed the metastasis as solitary, and no local recurrence of the primary tumor was identified. The patient underwent lumpectomy with negative margins and did not provide consent for adjuvant chemotherapy. As with the biopsy specimen and the total cleavage specimen, myxoid liposarcoma with metastasis to the breast was diagnosed. No recurrence or new metastases were observed five years after resection of the metastatic breast lesion.

Conclusions

We have presented an extremely rare case of a solitary metastatic breast tumor arising from myxoid liposarcoma of the lower limbs. There is no standard treatment for the management of solitary breast metastasis from myxoid liposarcoma. Therefore, treatment should be guided by consideration of an individual patient’s overall condition.