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Esophageal metastasis of breast carcinoma

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Abstract

Esophageal metastasis from primary breast cancer is an unusual manifestation. We recently treated a patient with dysphagia, whose breast cancer had been treated in the distant past. A 70-year-old woman had been followed regularly in our outpatient clinic for 14 years after her primary breast cancer treatment, with no apparent tumor recurrence. After 2 years absence, she consulted our clinic with progressive dysphagia. Contrast esophagography and endoscopic examination with ultrasonography revealed a protruding submucosal tumor that was histopathologically diagnosed as esophageal metastasis of breast cancer. Radiation therapy involving a total of 60 Gy in combination with aromatase inhibitor was given. The patient’s dysphagia was greatly relieved, concomitant with marked improvement of the stenotic lesion on imaging. Since treatment for recurrent breast cancer is generally palliative, systemic (chemo- and/or endocrine-) therapy in combination with radiotherapy is the first-line option for esophageal metastasis of breast cancer.

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Abbreviations

EUS:

Endoscopic ultrasonography

HE:

Hematoxylin–eosin

IHC:

Immunohistochemistry

CK:

Cytokeratin

ER:

Estrogen receptor

PgR:

Progesterone receptor

CT:

Computed tomography

EUS-FNA:

Endoscopic ultrasonography with fine-needle aspiration

EMR:

Endoscopic mucosal resection

QOL:

Quality of life

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, NHO Himeji Medical Center, 68 Honmachi, Himeji, Hyogo, 670-8520, Japan

    Yasuo Wada, Nobuko Harada, Kazuhiro Ohara, Hironori Kawata, Hironori Iwasaki, Yuuichiro Kawamura, Takashi Gomi & Masahiro Ohtoshi

  2. Laboratory of Anatomic Pathology, Kyoto University Hospital, 54 Shogoin-Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan

    Yasuaki Nakashima

Authors
  1. Yasuo Wada
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  2. Nobuko Harada
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  3. Kazuhiro Ohara
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  4. Hironori Kawata
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  5. Hironori Iwasaki
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  6. Yuuichiro Kawamura
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  7. Takashi Gomi
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  8. Masahiro Ohtoshi
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  9. Yasuaki Nakashima
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Correspondence to Yasuo Wada.

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Wada, Y., Harada, N., Ohara, K. et al. Esophageal metastasis of breast carcinoma. Breast Cancer 16, 151–156 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12282-008-0068-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12282-008-0068-6

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