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Case Reports
. 2015 Jul 6;32(1):71-4.
doi: 10.5152/UCD.2015.2989. eCollection 2016.

Sarcoidosis mimicking metastatic breast cancer in a patient with early-stage breast cancer

Metin Altınkaya  1 , Naime Altınkaya  2 , Burhan Hazar  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Sarcoidosis mimicking metastatic breast cancer in a patient with early-stage breast cancer

Metin Altınkaya et al. Ulus Cerrahi Derg. .

Abstract

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disorder of unknown origin that affects the lungs and mediastinal lymph nodes in most patients. The coexistence of sarcoidosis and breast cancer has been reported. An unfortunate consequence of the presence of both entities in the same patient is the risk of misdiagnosis. We report the case of a 70-year-old female with T1N0 cancer of the right breast that was initially diagnosed as stage IV because of mediastinal positron-emission tomography -positive lymphadenopathy. Biopsy of a mediastinal lymph node allowed us to diagnose sarcoidosis and correctly stage her disease as stage I breast cancer.

Keywords: Breast cancer; metastasis; positron-emission tomography/computed tomography; sarcoidosis.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Positron-emission tomography/computed tomography showing intense uptake mediastinal lymphadenopathies and right breast mass
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
There was no abnormal finding on the posteroanterior chest X-ray
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Mediastinoscopy and biopsy of the paratracheal lymphadenopathies showed noncaseating granulomas consistent with sarcoidosis (H&E x100 magnification)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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