Abstract
BACKGROUND: Papillary carcinoma of the breast is a rare malignant tumour accounting for 1% - 2% of all breast cancers in women. Papillary carcinomas of the chest wall are always secondary to thyroid, thymus and ovaries. Other variants of breast cancer metastasizing to the chest wall have been reported. CASE: We report a 67-year-old woman presented to us with an ulcerated anterior chest wall mass of 1-year duration, bilateral axillary, supraclavicular and cervical swellings of 8-month duration. There was a history of breast lump which was noticed 5 years prior to presentation, no history of breast malignancy in the past and no family history of breast cancer. Examination revealed an ulcerated, nodular mass over the sternal angle which measured 14 cm × 12 cm × 4 cm; she had bilateral axillary, supraclavicular and cervical lymphadenopathy which were non-tender and matted. She had a firm, non-tender right breast lump measuring 6 cm × 4 cm. Chest examination and abdominal examinations were essentially normal. Chest X-ray revealed erosion of sternal bone without any evidence of intrathoracic extension. Abdominal ultrasound and thyroid scans were normal. Histology of the mass revealed papillary carcinoma. Biopsy of the right breast also revealed papillary carcinoma. She had excision of the fungating tumour and primary closure of defect. She subsequently had combination chemotherapy using ondasetron, cyclophosphamide, adriamycin and cisplantin. CONCLUSION: Papillary carcinoma of the breast is rare and rarely metastasizes to the chest wall. The diagnosis of metastatic chest wall tumour requires meticulous history taking, clinical examination and relevant investigations to ascertain the primary origin of the carcinoma.
Highlights
Papillary carcinoma of the breast is a rare malignant tumour accounting for 1% - 2% of all breast cancers in women
We report a case of advanced papillary carcinoma of the breast presenting as an anterior chest wall mass
The diagnosis of metastatic chest wall tumour requires meticulous history taking, clinical examination and relevant investigations to ascertain the primary origin of the carcinoma
Summary
Papillary carcinoma of the breast is a rare malignant tumour accounting for 1% - 2% of all breast cancers in women. We report a case of advanced papillary carcinoma of the breast presenting as an anterior chest wall mass. A 67-year-old woman presented to us with an ulcerated anterior chest wall mass of 1 year duration, bilateral axillary, supraclavicular and cervical swellings of 8 months duration. Examination revealed an ulcerated, nodular mass over the sternal angle which measured 14 cm × 12 cm × 4 cm; (see Figure 1), she had bilateral axillary, supraclavicular and cervical lymphadenopathy which were non-tender and matted. Biopsy of the axillary tail mass revealed papillary carcinoma (see Figure 3). She had excision of the fungating tumour and primary closure of defect (see Figures 4 and 5). She subsequently had combination chemotherapy using ondasetron, cyclophosphamide, adriamycin and cisplantin
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
