title: Gastrointestinal tract metastasis from tubulolobular carcinoma of the breast: a case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Metastasis of breast cancer into the gastrointestinal tract happens rarely. The diagnosis of this kind of disease is difficult because of the nonspecific symptoms and the long interval between primary manifestations and recurrence. Awareness of this condition may lead to an accurate diagnosis and an earlier initiation of systemic treatment, thus avoiding unnecessary surgical intervention. In this paper, we report a rare case of a patient with tubulolobular carcinoma metastases to the colon, presenting with abdominal pain, discomfort, and weight loss. The patient underwent radical mastectomy and received postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Ten years later, she presented with gastrointestinal tract symptoms. Surgery combined with systemic treatment was chosen for the colon lesion. Immunohistochemical staining suggested a breast origin. The patient was still living 24 months after the diagnosis of the metastasis. This is the fourth case report in our literature review.
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Shahekou District, Dalian, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Guixin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Shahekou District, Dalian, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Tingjiang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Shahekou District, Dalian, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Shahekou District, Dalian, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Luyao
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Shahekou District, Dalian, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Haidong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
keywords: breast cancer; gastrointestinal tract; metastasis; tubulolobular carcinoma