Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2023 Apr;26(2):201-206.
doi: 10.4048/jbc.2023.26.e20.

Radiological and Histological Clues in the Diagnosis of Solitary and Synchronous Breast Metastasis From Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

Jung Hee Byon  1 , Kyoung Min Kim  2 , Eun Jung Choi  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Radiological and Histological Clues in the Diagnosis of Solitary and Synchronous Breast Metastasis From Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

Jung Hee Byon et al. J Breast Cancer. 2023 Apr.

Abstract

Breast metastases from small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) are extremely rare. Although reports of breast metastases from SCLC exist, only three studies have reported solitary and synchronous breast metastases. Herein, we present a case of SCLC with solitary and synchronous breast metastases. This unusual case highlights the importance of the combined use of radiological and immunohistochemical features to accurately distinguish solitary metastatic SCLC from primary breast carcinoma or metastatic carcinoma of other types of lung cancer. It also emphasizes the importance of the differences between solitary metastatic SCLC and primary breast carcinoma or metastatic carcinoma of other types of lung cancer for the respective prognoses and development of appropriate therapeutic plans.

Keywords: Breast Neoplasms; Neoplasm Metastasis; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Imaging study findings of breast metastasis from small cell lung carcinoma.
(A) Computed tomography scan of the chest shows a hilar mass with heterogeneous enhancement that encased the right middle lobar bronchus and invaded the right main pulmonary vein. (B) Mediolateral mammography of the left breast reveals a round, circumscribed, hyperdense mass without microcalcifications. (C) Ultrasound examination of the left breast shows an oval, circumscribed, parallel-oriented, and complex solid and cystic mass.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Histological features of breast biopsy.
(A) In the lower-power field, a tumor with high cellularity is visible (H&E stain, original magnification: ×100). (B) The tumor cells have scant cytoplasm with round to oval nuclei. Nuclear molding is also evident (H&E stain, original magnification: ×400). The tumor cells show immunoreactivity to (C) CD56 and (D) synaptophysin (original magnification: ×400). H&E = hematoxylin-eosin.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Liu W, Palma-Diaz F, Alasio TM. Primary small cell carcinoma of the lung initially presenting as a breast mass: a fine-needle aspiration diagnosis. Diagn Cytopathol. 2009;37:208–212. - PubMed
    1. Mirrielees JA, Kapur JH, Szalkucki LM, Harter JM, Salkowski LR, Strigel RM, et al. Metastasis of primary lung carcinoma to the breast: a systematic review of the literature. J Surg Res. 2014;188:419–431. - PubMed
    1. Ji FF, Gao P, Wang JG, Zhao J, Zhao P. Contralateral breast metastasis from pulmonary adenocarcinoma: two cases report and literature review. J Thorac Dis. 2012;4:384–389. - PMC - PubMed
    1. DeLair DF, Corben AD, Catalano JP, Vallejo CE, Brogi E, Tan LK. Non-mammary metastases to the breast and axilla: a study of 85 cases. Mod Pathol. 2013;26:343–349. - PubMed
    1. Vaughan A, Dietz JR, Moley JF, Debenedetti MK, Aft RL, Gillanders WE, et al. Metastatic disease to the breast: the Washington University experience. World J Surg Oncol. 2007;5:74. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types