Uterine intra-leiomyoma metastasis originating from primary breast cancer: A rare entity.
Vanessa Bartholomew, Natalia Lopez, Christine M G Schammel et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
Case in brief
An asymptomatic African American woman underwent hysterectomy for pelvic organ prolapse six years after treatment for primary breast cancer. Histopathology unexpectedly showed metastatic invasive ductal/lobular carcinoma infiltrating a uterine leiomyoma. The tumor was ER-positive, PR-positive, and HER2-negative; immunohistochemical profiling confirmed breast origin and receptor concordance with the primary tumor. The report describes an incidental uterine metastasis within a fibroid, rather than a presentation with symptoms suggesting gynecologic malignancy.
What made this case unusual
The metastasis was found within a uterine leiomyoma, an exceptionally rare site, and was identified incidentally in an asymptomatic patient. The authors also note that, to their knowledge, this was the first such case reported in an African American patient.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
In a patient with a history of breast carcinoma, an unexpected tumor in a uterine leiomyoma warrants histopathologic assessment and immunohistochemical comparison with the primary tumor to establish its origin.