title: Breast metastasis from small cell lung carcinoma.
abstract: Breast metastases from extramammary neoplasms are very rare. We presented a 66 year-old female with metastasis of small cell lung carcinoma to the breast. She presented with consolidation over the left upper lobe of her lung undetermined after endobronchial or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) biopsy, and this was treated effectively after antibiotic therapy at initial stage. The left breast lumps were noted 4 months later, and she underwent a modified radical mastectomy under the impression of primary breast carcinoma. However, the subsequent chest imaging revealed re-growing mass over the left mediastinum and hilum, and cells with the same morphological and staining features were found from specimens of transbronchial brushing and biopsy. An accurate diagnosis to distinguish a primary breast carcinoma from metastatic one is very important because the therapeutic planning and the outcome between them are different.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Chia-Yi Christian Hospital and Chung-Shan Medical University and Hospital, Taichung 402, Taiwan, China. luh572001@yahoo.com.tw
authors.forename: Shi-ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Luh
authors.forename: Chih
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Thomas Chang-yao
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Tsao
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*