Abstract
A 79-year-old woman visited our clinic, complaining of a right breast mass. Mammography and ultrasonography revealed an ill-defined mass in the right breast and enlarged right axillary lymph nodes. Core needle biopsy yielded a diagnosis of invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC). The preoperative serum CA15-3 and CEA levels were high and slightly high, at 111.9 U/ml and 7.7 ng/ml, respectively. Muscle-sparing mastectomy with axillary dissection was performed. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen revealed IMPC, pT2, pN2 (17/18), ly (2), ER (+). She received adjuvant chemotherapy (weekly paclitaxel); however, her serum CA15-3 levels increased after five courses of chemotherapy. Therefore, endocrine therapy with letrozole was started 6 months after surgery. Thereafter, the CA15-3 levels rapidly decreased to the normal range 5 months later. The patient has been free of recurrence for the 23 since after surgery, and is currently followed-up with endocrine therapy.
