title: Rare abdominal metastases from occult lobular breast cancer: report of two cases.
abstract: Intra-abdominal metastases from breast carcinomas are rarely reported in the literature. Least are those originating from occult breast primary. We report, one case of pancreatic metastasis and one case of metastatic infiltration of the colonic wall, both by occult lobular breast carcinoma. The first patient underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for obstructive jaundice, with unexpected histological finding of infiltration of distal bile duct, pancreatic gland, portal vein and retroperitoneal soft tissue by lobular carcinoma of the breast. The second patient complained of diffuse abdominal pain associated with constipation and rectal bleeding and underwent endoscopic biopsy of three intestinal strictures, revealing metastatic lobular carcinoma with signet-ring cell morphology. In both cases, a subsequent complete diagnostic work-up demonstrated asymptomatic multiple breast nodules, diagnosed as lobular carcinoma by fine needle aspiration cytology.
authors.affiliation: Anatomia Patologica, Ospedale di Sestri Levante, Via Terzi 43/a, 16039 Sestri Levante (Genoa), Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Razzetta
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tassara
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saro
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sironi
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: D'Ambrosio
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed