BACKGROUND: Nearly one-quarter of metastatic tumours in the breast are from an occult extramammary tumour, usually a lung carcinoma. AIM: To report on a patient with a history of metastatic malignant phaeochromocytoma and a breast mass. RESULT: A 54-year-old female presented with a right breast mass. At the age of 32, she had presented with a phaeochromocytoma. The staining of the breast mass was comparable with that of her original adrenal tumour. CONCLUSION: This is the first published case of a phaeochromocytoma metastasising to the breast, and demonstrates the challenge that extramammary tumours in the breast can pose for the pathologist.
BACKGROUND: Nearly one-quarter of metastatic tumours in the breast are from an occult extramammary tumour, usually a lung carcinoma. AIM: To report on a patient with a history of metastatic malignant phaeochromocytoma and a breast mass. RESULT: A 54-year-old female presented with a right breast mass. At the age of 32, she had presented with a phaeochromocytoma. The staining of the breast mass was comparable with that of her original adrenal tumour. CONCLUSION: This is the first published case of a phaeochromocytoma metastasising to the breast, and demonstrates the challenge that extramammary tumours in the breast can pose for the pathologist.
Authors: M Nielsen; J A Andersen; F W Henriksen; P B Kristensen; M Lorentzen; V Ravn; T Schiødt; J V Thorborg; K Ornvold Journal: Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand A Date: 1981-07