Bilateral Choroidal Metastases In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Radiotherapy And Eribulin For Vision Preservation And Prolong Survival

Abstract

Introduction: Choroidal metastases are infrequent in breast cancer, but if they present, they usually signify the disseminated disease and poor prognosis. The challenges in treating choroidal metastases are not only to prolong survival but also to preserve vision, improving the quality of life. Case Presentation: Our patient was firstly diagnosed with stage-three triple-negative breast cancer at the age of 32 years. She had surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy with anthracycline regime, as well as adjuvant radiotherapy. Her disease firstly recurred two years later with pleural effusion, but it was controlled with six cycles of docetaxel. She was in remission until ten years later when she presented with a worsening dry cough and progressive blurring of vision in both eyes. CT restaging showed multiple sub-centimeter bilateral lung nodules, singular pleural metastases, and multiple bone metastases. Choroidal metastases were also confirmed with the ophthalmological assessment which includes CT of the orbit. She received short-course palliative radiotherapy followed immediately by eribulin. Then, she started monthly bisphosphonates. She was able to read again four months after radiotherapy, and her vision remains normal to date. The latest PET scans showed no FDG avid disease in the lungs with pleural metastases significantly reduced in size. Bone metastases remain stable and asymptomatic. It has been nearly four years since the diagnosis of choroidal metastases. She is still on eribulin at an adjusted dose and interval. She remains asymptomatic from her bone, lung, and choroidal metastases. Conclusions: Short-course radiotherapy to the orbit, followed by continuous administration of eribulin, can lead to prolonged survival with a good quality of life in triple-negative breast cancer with choroidal metastases