Metastases to breast - A 29 year experience in a tertiary care hospital.

ABSTRACT

Metastatic lesions to the breast are unusual. We present a series of 26 cases of metastatic tumors to breast from extra-mammary sites over a period of 29 years. There were 14 female and 12 male patients, and their ages ranged from 28 to 70 years. The tumor was in the upper outer quadrant in 16 patients. All 26 cases noticed a mass in the breast and more than half of the patients complained of discomfort and pain. The mammary symptoms were present for more than 4 months in all patients. Of the 26 cases, 13 cases had metastatic adenocarcinoma, 12 cases had metastatic squamous cell carcinoma and one case had poorly differentiated carcinoma. On mammography, 16 patients showed high density lesions and on ultrasonography lesions were hypoechoic. Prognosis is poor but appears slightly improved since more refined chemo and immunotherapeutic regimens were available. The clinical, pathologic, and radiographic features of this problem are described.