Abstract
Two cases of occult breast carcinoma which were found by metastatic axillary lymph nodes are reported, together with a review of 59 cases seen in Japan.
Case 1 was a 49-year-old woman who received left axillary dissection followed by radical mastectomy. The patient is alive with a local recurrence 40 months postoperatively. Case 2 was a 49-year-old woman who received right radical mastectomy. She died of lung, liver and bone metastases 31 months postoperatively. Many axillary and subclavian lymph nodes were involved in both cases and careful pathologic examination of the surgical specimens led to the discovery of the noninvasive ductal carcinoma in case 1 and solid tublar carcinoma 1.0 cm in diameter in case 2.
The prognosis of occult breast carcinoma was not poor as compared with that of palpable breast carcinomas with metastatic nodes. The delay in surgical therapy of occult breast carcinoma tended to make nodal involvement more advanced and then to do prognosis worse. The immediate choice of proper eperation and systemic adjuvant therapy according to the degree of nodal involvement would lead to the better prognosis.
