title: Metastatic breast cancer to the gastrointestinal tract: report of five cases and review of the literature.
abstract: Luminal gastrointestinal (GI) metastases from breast cancer are rare, reports are fragmentary and poor. The purposes of this study are to assess the gastrointestinal involvement from breast cancer in a retrospective study at a single institution and reviewing the related literature. Between January 2007 and December 2011 a total of 980 patients with breast cancer were treated at our institution, patients' records and report database were analysed. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained for this study. A search of the literature using PubMed, CancerLit, Embase, was performed. Selected for the present review were papers published in English before June 2012. Five of 980 patients (0.5%) showed gastrointestinal metastases from breast cancer, 3 patients had gastric involvement, 1 jejunum, and 1 rectum. Reviewing the literature, 206 patients affected by gastrointestinal metastasis from breast cancer were identified: the most frequent site of metastasis was the stomach (60%). The majority of the patients underwent chemotherapy and endocrine therapy, someone surgery and radiotherapy. GI metastases from breast cancer are rare, but possible, and a very late recurrence can also occur. Cyto-histological diagnosis is mandatory, to differentiate GI metastases from breast cancer to other diseases and to allow an adequate treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology and Hematology, Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera "Guglielmo da Saliceto", Via Taverna 49, CAP 29121 Piacenza, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ambroggi
authors.forename: Elisa Maria
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Stroppa
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mordenti
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Biasini
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zangrandi
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Michieletti
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Belloni
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cavanna