Nasal cavity metastasis of breast cancer: a case report and review of the literature.
OBJECTIVE
The nasal cavity is an uncommon site for metastasis to develop and thus metastases arising from breast cancer are rarely observed. We report a case of a 61-year-old female with two-year history of breast cancer who presented with a nasal cavity that was diagnosed as metastatic breast carcinoma by histopathological analysis of the nasal cavity specimen.


METHODS
We reviewed the clinical records of the patient and the appropriate world literature.


RESULTS
The patient had been diagnosed with breast cancer two years before. Her present complain was oculus dexter visual acuity decreased. CT and MRI scan revealed a palpable mass on the right nasal cavity. PET/CT demonstrated no additional uptake at the level of other organ. ER and PR demonstrated a similar expression pattern in primary breast carcinoma and nasal cavity lesions. As further treatment she received systemic palliative chemotherapy in addition to intravenous treatment with bisphosphonates, and a total dose of 36 Gy of X-ray (3 Gy per day, 12 fractions) was given to the local site of the right nasal cavity.


CONCLUSIONS
In patient with a previous history of breast cancer who complains even of ophthalmologic symptoms such as visual acuity decreased, it is important to consider nasal cavity metastatic disease. 18FDG-PET/CT is useful to rule out the presence of other organ metastasis. Histopathological analysis may aid the diagnosis. The establishment of treatment strategies based on a comprehensive understanding of both etiology and pathophysiology is needed for rare cases such as this.
Department of Otolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhe Jiang University Hangzhou, P. R. China.
Binqi
B
Weng
Department of Otolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhe Jiang University Hangzhou, P. R. China.
Qinying
Q
Wang
Department of Otolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhe Jiang University Hangzhou, P. R. China.
San
S
Lin
Department of Otolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhe Jiang University Hangzhou, P. R. China.
Yuyu
Y
Lu
D001706:Biopsy; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000737:chemistry / Q000556:secondary*; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000473:pathology*; D009669:Nose Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D010166:Palliative Care; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014792:Visual Acuity
Nasal cavity; breast cancer; metastasis; surgery