title: Metastatic Breast Carcinoma Presenting as Perforated Appendicitis.
abstract: SUMMARY: BACKGROUND: Patients presenting with symptoms from unknown metastatic breast carcinoma are becoming increasingly uncommon. Perforated appendicitis from metastatic breast carcinoma is a rare entity with only a few published reports in the literature. CASE REPORT: The case of a 76-year-old female patient who developed perforated appendicitis from previously unknown metastatic breast cancer is presented. During physical examination in the emergency department, a large left breast mass was palpated. The patient underwent an appendectomy and had no gross evidence of disease elsewhere in the intra-peritoneal cavity. Subsequent pathologic examination of the appendix revealed a lobular carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: The factors that influence the site of metastasis from breast cancer include estrogen receptor status and the subtype of carcinoma - ductal versus lobular.
authors.affiliation: Pinnacle Health System, Harrisburg, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Jesse L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Dirksen
authors.forename: Matthew G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Souder
authors.forename: Adam J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Burick