title: A case of breast cancer involving a ventriculoperitoneal shunt.
abstract: An 84-year-old woman was examined for an enlargement of an induration in the left breast. A ventriculoperitoneal shunt had been placed for postoperative normal pressure hydrocephalus of a cerebral hemorrhage, and it had penetrated the mass according to the computed tomography findings. Breast cancer was diagnosed after a close examination; however, close observation was selected because her family rejected treatment. She developed somnolence 7 months after the initial examination, and ventricular dilatation and expansion of the low-density region around the ventricle were noted on computed tomography, suggesting that the enlarged tumor had excluded the shunt and caused obstruction. The growth of breast carcinoma involving a shunt tube can be the cause of obstruction of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Our findings suggest that a breast lesion should be evaluated at both pre- and postoperation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Shin-beppu Hospital, 3898 Tsurumi, Beppu, Oita, 874-5593, Japan. mirei65@oita-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Mirei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamei
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Shin-beppu Hospital, 3898 Tsurumi, Beppu, Oita, 874-5593, Japan. surgk@shinbeppu-hosp.jp.
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Shin-beppu Hospital, Beppu, Oita, 874-5593, Japan. hichimura-nsn@umin.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Homare
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ichimura
authors.affiliation: Kitsuki Central Hospital, 120 Kitsuki, Kitsuki, Oita, Japan. chujo@oita-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chujo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Shin-beppu Hospital, 3898 Tsurumi, Beppu, Oita, 874-5593, Japan. takasurg@yahoo.co.jp.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Breast Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, 1-1 Idaigaoka, Hasama, Yufu, Oita, 879-5503, Japan. ksugio@oita-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugio
keywords: Breast cancer; Shunt malfunction; Ventriculoperitoneal shunt