Abstract
BackgroundThe management of cancer in the axillary area depends on the etiology of the tumor.Case ReportA 37-year-old woman presented with a 2 cm mass in the axillary fossa. Core needle biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma. There were no abnormal breast findings on physical examination, mammography, or ultrasonography. However, enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) showed a segmentally-distributed, abnormal area in the upper-outer quadrant, continuous with the axillary mass. Samples of this area obtained by vacuum-assisted biopsy showed intraductal carcinoma. These findings indicated that the axillary lesion was a part of primary breast cancer originating from the axillary tail. Based on these results, the patient underwent total mastectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy. Pathological examination of the specimen showed invasive ductal carcinoma accompanied by intraductal carcinoma extending up to 8.5 cm. Our case suggests that enhanced MRI and PET can provide useful preoperative information for the management of axillary breast lesions.
Highlights
The management of cancer in the axillary area depends on the etiology of the tumor.Case Report: A 37-year-old woman presented with a 2 cm mass in the axillary fossa
Cancerous tumors located in the axillary fossa can be the result of several processes, including occult breast cancer with axillary lymph node metastasis, ectopic breast cancer, axillary tail breast cancer, or metastatic lymphadenopathy originating from non-breast tissue
We report the case of an axillary mass, which was revealed to be breast cancer originating from the axillary tail of Spence
Summary
Cancerous tumors located in the axillary fossa can be the result of several processes, including occult breast cancer with axillary lymph node metastasis, ectopic breast cancer, axillary tail breast cancer, or metastatic lymphadenopathy originating from non-breast tissue. PET was performed and the axillary region and the outer upper quadrant of the breast were enhanced on the image (Figure 1). She was referred to our department for evaluation. Enhanced MRI was performed and showed a segmentally enhanced area in the entire upper outer quadrant including the axillary mass (Figure 3). Pathology revealed an intra-ductal carcinoma at this site According to these findings, we determined that the patient had breast cancer in the axillary tail of Spence with extended intra-ductal spread. The patient is well 8 months post-operatively and has no signs of recurrence
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