Metastatic tumors to the female breast. An autopsy study of 12 cases.

Twelve cases of metastatic tumors to the female breast are reported. Ten of them were incidentally discovered at autopsy; two cases were diagnosed ante mortem but one was misinterpreted as primary. The patients' mean age was 58 years. The metastasizing tumors included cutaneous malignant melanoma (four cases); ovarian, renal and gastric adenocarcinoma (two cases each); and individual cases of pulmonary and pancreatic carcinoma. The patients with melanoma were younger than the others (49.7 vs. 62.7 years). The results of the present study indicate that breast metastases, although rare, are not exceptional especially in large autopsy series. Their recognition in surgical material would result in more adequate treatment against the primary tumor, thereby avoiding unnecessary radical surgery to the breast.