ULTRASOUND EXAMINATION IN THE COMPREHENSIVE DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING OF PARASTERNAL LYMPH NODE METASTASES IN A PATIENT WITH BREAST CANCER: A CASE REPORT

Background. The parasternal lymphatic collector is an important pathway of the lymph drainage from the breast in breast cancer patients. Evaluation of parasternal lymph nodes is not available during physical examination. To date, no algorithm for diagnostic imaging of the parasternal lymphatic pathway has been developed. The presence of metastases in parasternal lymph nodes upstages the breast cancer patient to a minimum of clinical stage III disease.Case description. We present the case of breast cancer progression in a 40-year-old woman. The patient received treatment for triple-negative stage IIA breast cancer (Т2N0M0) in 2018. In August, 2019, 18-FDG PET /CT images revealed a solitary metastasis in the parasternal lymph node. Ultrasound images also showed the same lymph node assessed by PET -CT and the additional parasternal lymph node metastasis. A fine-needle aspiration biopsy of both lymph nodes confirmed the specific involvement of the parasternal lymph nodes.Conclusion. Ultrasound scans are used to assess the axillary, subclavian and supraclavicular lymphatic collectors, but there is little evidence in the literature on the use of ultrasound in the assessment of parasternal lymph nodes. Our clinical case shows the feasibility of using ultrasound in assessing the status of the parasternal of lymph nodes, as well as the feasibility of performing fine-needle aspiration biopsy by ultrasound navigation.

Long-term survival after pancreatic metastasis resection from breast cancer: a systematic literature review

Background Patients with advanced-stage breast cancer often demonstrate pancreatic metastases. However, pancreatic metastases resection from breast cancer has been rarely performed, with only 20 cases having been reported to date. Case presentation A 49-year-old woman presented to our hospital in September 2003 with complaints of uncontrollable oozing from her left breast tumor. Computed tomography revealed a left breast tumor approximately 9.3 cm in diameter as well as heterogeneously enhanced solid mass lesions with necrotic foci in the pancreatic tail and body, up to 6.2 cm, which were radiologically diagnosed as pancreatic metastases from breast cancer. An emergent left simple mastectomy was performed to control bleeding. After epirubicin and cyclophosphamide hydrate treatment failed to improve her condition, the pancreatic metastases responded to weekly paclitaxel treatment, but eventually regrew. The patient underwent distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy, left adrenalectomy, partial stomach resection, and paraaortic lymph nodes excision in December 2004 after no other metastasis was confirmed. Furthermore, she received radiation therapy for left parasternal lymph node metastasis 6 months later. The patient recovered well. Consequently, she has no evidence of disease > 15 years after pancreatectomy. Conclusions This is the first reported case of pancreatectomy for pancreatic metastases from breast cancer, which was simultaneously diagnosed. Patients with no metastasis other than resectable pancreatic metastases and breast cancer and who possess some sensitivity for chemotherapy may benefit from pancreatectomy.

Myoepithelial Carcinoma of the Breast Treated with Surgery and Chemotherapy

Myoepithelial carcinoma (malignant myoepithelioma) of the breast is a rare tumor, for which only a limited number of reports have been published. Most of the reports emphasized diagnosis and pathology but not biological behavior and treatment. We report a 61-year-old patient with breast myoepithelial carcinoma who developed locoregional and distant metastases and received many chemotherapy regimens. She presented with an elastic hard mass of the left breast. Breast conserving surgery was performed as part of both diagnosis and treatment. From the results of histological and immunohistochemical examinations, this case was considered to be a myoepithelial carcinoma. Fifteen months after the completion of adjuvant radiotherapy, distant metastasis of the left parasternal lymph node metastasis developed. She was treated by further excision and received a total of four regimens of chemotherapy including a combination of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide. She received chemotherapy for 20 months after the diagnosis of metastasis.