Diagnosis of micropapillary carcinoma of the breast by endometrial biopsy in a postmenopausal patient with abnormal uterine bleeding.

Metastasis of breast cancer to the uterus is quite rare. The majority of reported cases have evolved from previously known invasive ductal and lobular carcinomas of the breast. Herein, a rare case of invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the breast that was diagnosed via endometrial biopsy, without a previous diagnosis or history of breast cancer, was presented. A 58-year-old postmenopausal patient, who had no history of cancer, presented with complaints of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) that had begun 2 weeks prior. After undergoing transvaginal ultrasonography, endometrial biopsy, tomography, and positron emission tomography/computed tomography, the patient was preliminarily diagnosed with invasive carcinoma of the breast. The biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the breast. In postmenopausal AUB, endometrial metastasis of breast cancer should be kept in mind, especially in underdeveloped and developing countries where regular breast cancer screening has not been achieved. KEY WORDS: Breast cancer, Endometrium, Metastasis, Micropapillary carcinoma.

Serum and placental periostin levels in women with early pregnancy loss.

OBJECTIVES: Periostin is secreted from the placenta in the embryonic period and it is emphasized that it may be involved in endometrial implantation. In this study, we aimed to investigate periostin serum levels and placental tissue expression in first trimester pregnancy losses. STUDY DESIGN: In this prospective case-control study, 30 patients who underwent dilatation and curettage with first trimester spontaneous abortion (<10 weeks of gestation) were included in the study group and 30 patients who had voluntary pregnancy termination (<10 gestational weeks) were included in the control group. Serum samples collected from the study and control groups were analyzed usingenzyme-linkedimmunosorbent assay (ELISA), and trophoblastic and decidual tissues were examined using immunohistochemical staining with streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase techniques. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of age, gravida status, parity number, gestational week, and number of previous abortions. In the spontaneous abortion group, the serum level of periostin was significantly lower than in the voluntary termination group (6.56 ± 4.16 pg/mLvs. 9.51 ± 4.52 pg/mL, p = 0.03). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of periostin expression in decidual and trophoblastic tissue (p = 0.617, p = 0.274, p = 0.497). CONCLUSION: Periostin serum levels were significantly reduced in patients with spontaneous pregnancy loss. Periostin can be used as a predictive marker for the success of endometrial implantation.