Orbital fat regeneration following hormonal treatment of metastatic breast carcinoma

Orbital Metastasis Secondary to Breast Cancer: A Rare Cause of Unilateral External Ophthalmoplegia

Orbital metastases are rare causes of orbital tumours, and may present with pain, photophobia, red eye, vision loss, diplopia, proptosis, or external ophthalmoplegia. Breast cancer is responsible for a great majority of orbital metastases. Herein, we report a 78-year-old female who had unilateral external ophthalmoplegia due to orbital metastasis of primary breast cancer.

Orbital metastases of invasive lobular breast carcinoma

Breast cancer is the main site of origin of orbital metastatic disease. Although invasive lobular breast carcinoma accounts for 10-15% of all breast cancer cases, it has been noticed that it metastasizes to the orbit more often compared to breast cancer of no special type (NST). The pathogenesis of this metastasis is not entirely understood; however, it seems that the unique tissue-specific characteristics of orbital microenvironment might contribute to metastatic disease in this particular site. Given the increasing survival of breast cancer patients and the prolonged metastatic potential of invasive lobular breast carcinoma, it is possible that the incidence of this rare metastasis might increase in the future. The purpose of this review is to present clinical manifestations, immunohistochemical characteristics and therapeutic options for orbital metastases from invasive lobular carcinoma.