title: Axillary metastases from occult breast cancer. Our experience.
abstract: We report the case of a 63-year-old woman with occult breast cancer who presented with a hard metastatic nodule in the left axilla. Although histology identified a metastatic carcinoma in the lymph nodes, numerous tests failed to detect the primary tumor. Resected lymph node was positive for both estrogen and progesterone receptors, suggesting the breast as the site of the primary tumor. Left modified radical mastectomy was performed. Pathology revealed an invasive lobular carcinoma (2.5 x 2 mm in size) with extensive lymphatic involvement, which strongly expressed both vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and VEGF-D.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanguinetti
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polistena
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: D'Ermo
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lucchini
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Triola
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Conti
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Avenia
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cavallaro
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Toma
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Avenia
mesh_terms: D001365:Axilla; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009382:Neoplasms, Unknown Primary / Q000473:pathology*