Sudden hemorrhage without skin invasion in a patient with breast cancer: a case report and literature review.
We report a rare case of sudden hemorrhage caused by breast cancer. A 70-year-old Japanese woman noted fresh bleeding from her left breast. On physical examination, continuous hemorrhage accompanied by an open cavity was observed in the left breast. Mammography and ultrasonography revealed a well-circumscribed mass, with solid and cystic components, that was highly suggestive of intracystic breast carcinoma with direct skin invasion. Computed tomography and bone scintigraphy showed no distant metastasis. Aspiration biopsy of the lesion showed several clusters of adenocarcinoma cells. Modified radical mastectomy was performed with a presumptive diagnosis of stage III B left breast cancer. Invasive ductal carcinoma without skin invasion was diagnosed histologically. To the best of our knowledge, only 6 other cases of sudden hemorrhage caused by breast cancer without skin invasion have been reported in Japan. We review the literature and discuss the clinical characteristics of this unusual phenomenon.
Kijima
Yuko
Y
Department of Surgical Oncology, Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Japan. ykijima@m3.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp.
Umekita
Yoshihisa
Y
Department of Tumor Pathology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Japan.
Ehi
Katsuhiko
K
Department of Surgical Oncology, Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Japan.
Yoshinaka
Heiji
H
Department of Surgical Oncology, Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Japan.
Funasako
Yawara
Y
Department of Surgical Oncology, Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Japan.
Owaki
Tetsuhiro
T
Department of Surgical Oncology, Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Japan.
Yoshida
Hiroki
H
Department of Tumor Pathology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Japan.
Aikou
Takashi
T
Department of Surgical Oncology, Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Japan.
D000368:Aged; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography; D008408:Mastectomy; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed