Breast metastasis 56 months before the diagnosis of primary ovarian cancer: a case study.
BACKGROUND
Breast metastasis of ovarian cancer is rare. A patient with a breast tumor which turned out to be a metastasis as the first clinical manifestation of a primary ovarian cancer diagnosed 56 months later is described.


METHODS
A 72-year-old patient presented with a palpable mass in the right breast. Lumpectomy was performed and primary breast cancer was excluded. Histology confirmed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. However, further examination showed no evidence of extramammary primary malignancy. Fifty-six months later, a multicystic pelvic lesion with irregular septa was found. Laparotomy showed a tumor of the right adnexa. The final pathology confirmed the diagnosis of a primary serous ovarian carcinoma. The paraffin blocks of both tumors were reevaluated and showed that the cytological atypia and the immunohistochemical profiles [cytokeratin (CK) 5/6, CK 17, gross cystic disease fluid protein (GCDFP)-15 / BRST-2, estrogen- and progesterone receptor, cancer antigen (CA)125, Wilms tumor (WT-1), tumorsuppressor gene p53, MIB-1 (proliferation marker)] were similar in both the breast and the ovarian specimens.


CONCLUSIONS
To our knowledge, this is the first report of a breast metastasis preceding the diagnosis of primary ovarian cancer by several years.
Schneuber
Susanne E
SE
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Graz, A-8036 Graz, Austria. susanne.schneuber@klinkum-graz.at
Scholz
Heinz S
HS
Regitnig
Peter
P
Petru
Edgar
E
Winter
Raimund
R
D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*