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Case Reports
. 2006 Jul 19:6:193.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2407-6-193.

Gastro-intestinal symptoms as clinical manifestation of peritoneal and retroperitoneal spread of an invasive lobular breast cancer: report of a case and review of the literature

G Franceschini  1 , A Manno, A Mulè, A Verbo, G Rizzo, D Sermoneta, L Petito, P D'alba, C Maggiore, D Terribile, R Masetti, C Coco
Affiliations
Case Reports

Gastro-intestinal symptoms as clinical manifestation of peritoneal and retroperitoneal spread of an invasive lobular breast cancer: report of a case and review of the literature

G Franceschini et al. BMC Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: Distant spread from breast cancer is commonly found in bones, lungs, liver and central nervous system. Metastatic involvement of peritoneum and retroperitoneum is unusual and unexpected.

Case presentation: We report the case of a 67 year-old-woman who presented with gastrointestinal symptoms which revealed to be the clinical manifestations of peritoneal and retroperitoneal metastatic spread of an invasive lobular breast cancer diagnosed 15 years before.

Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, the case presented is the third one reported in literature showing a wide peritoneal and extraperitoneal diffusion of an invasive lobular breast cancer. The long and complex diagnostic work up which led us to the diagnosis is illustrated, with particular emphasis on the multidisciplinary approach, which is mandatory to obtain such a result in these cases. Awareness of such a condition by clinicians is mandatory in order to make an early diagnosis and start a prompt and correct therapeutic approach.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Rectum biopsy: Infiltration by ILC with focal targettoid arrangement around rectal glands. The rectal glandular epithelium shows no dysplastic changes (original magnification ×100).
Figure 2
Figure 2
A detail of the typical "Indian file" growth pattern of breast lobular invasive carcinoma (original magnification ×200).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Vaginal biopsy: Infiltration by ILC with typical "Indian file" growth pattern. (original magnification ×100).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Positive ER staining confirming the breast origin of the metastasis. (original magnification ×200).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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