A Case of Mammary Metastasis of Ovarian Cancer Resected for Diagnosis and Treatment

Abstract

We describe the case of a 70-year-old woman who was diagnosed with bilateral ovarian cancer in 2015 and underwent neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy plus curative surgery. In September 2018, computed tomography (CT) revealed tumorous lesions in the left upper lateral breast, and the patient was referred to the Department of Surgery. The lesions tested negative for ovarian and breast cancer tumor markers. Although core needle biopsy revealed malignancy, the histologic type and primary origin were difficult to determine. CT revealed no swelling of the axillary lymph nodes or lung or liver metastasis. Although imaging findings suggested breast cancer, the patient's history and core needle biopsy findings did not rule out metastasis of ovarian cancer. Accordingly, we performed left-sided breast-conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy for diagnosis and treatment. Postoperatively, a diagnosis of metastasis of ovarian cancer based on a permanent specimen was confirmed. Postoperative positron emission tomography-CT revealed no other obvious metastatic lesions. The patient is currently undergoing chemotherapy in the Department of Gynecology. Mammary metastasis of malignant tumors is very rare.