title: Metastatic breast carcinoma presenting as a large pulmonary embolus: case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Involvement of the pulmonary vasculature by carcinoma of the breast typically occurs in the form of microscopic tumor emboli involving the small arteries, arterioles, or capillaries. Obstruction of a large pulmonary artery by a tumor embolus has not been reported. We describe a patient with a history of breast carcinoma diagnosed 5 years previously who sought treatment for dyspnea and a large mass in the right pulmonary artery suggestive of a pulmonary embolus. After failure of both systemic and intraarterial thrombolytic therapy, a biopsy of the mass was obtained, which revealed adenocarcinoma of the breast. Systemic chemotherapy with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide was initiated and resulted in the complete resolution of her symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA. jfg@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Jean-Francois H
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Geschwind
authors.forename: Mandeep S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Dagli
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vogel-Claussen
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Seifter
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Huncharek
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001706:Biopsy; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*