Two cases of immunohistochemical diagnosis of breast cancer metastases to the lung 13 and 17 years after the primary treatments

Abstract

Breast cancer tends to relapse a long time after the primary treatment, compared with other cancers. It is usually difficult to distinguish breast cancer metastases to the lung from primary lung cancers. We employed immuno-histochemical analysis to diagnose two cases of breast cancer metastases to the lung, 13 and 17years after the surgical treatments. Casel was a 52-year-old female presenting a lung tumor 25mm in diameter at left S¹⁺². She had undergone right mastectomy for breast cancer 17years before. Partial resection of her left lung was performed. Case2 was a 53-year-old female with a lung tumor 20mm in diameter at left S³. She had undergone left mastectomy for breast cancer 13years before. Her lung tumor was diagnosed as adenocarcinoma by transbronchial lung biopsy. Left upper lobectomy was performed. Both cases showed positive immunohistochemical staining of GCDFP-15 (gross cystic disease fluid protein-15), and we finally diagnosed them as having breast cancer metastases to the lung.