title: Fine-needle aspiration of metastatic renal-cell carcinoma masquerading as primary breast carcinoma.
abstract: This report details a fine-needle aspiration biopsy performed in the investigation of two right breast nodules in a patient with previous history of lumpectomy for infiltrating ductal carcinoma in the same breast 3 years before. Because the cytology was atypical for a mammary carcinoma and cells did not match the morphology of the previous breast carcinoma, a tissue biopsy was recommended, revealing the presence of metastasis from a previously silent primary renal-cell carcinoma. This report illustrates not only how metastatic lesions in the breast can masquerade clinically as a primary carcinoma but also the necessity for the cautious approach to interpreting the fine-needle aspiration biopsy of these lesions. Furthermore, essential guidelines necessary to distinguish primary from metastatic lesions in the breast are presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Lankenau Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19096, USA.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kannan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary*; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*