Conjonctival melanoma metastatic to the breast: a case report

• Published in: BMC research notes 2014-09, Vol.7 (1), p.621, Article 621
• Main Authors: Kharmoum, Saoussane, Mohamed, Mesmoudi, Benhammane, Hafida, Kharmoum, Jinane, Touri, Salima, Setti, Khadija, Bensouda, Youssef, Boutayeb, Saber, Elghissassi, Ibrahim, Mrabti, Hind, El Khannoussi, Bassma, Sbitti, Yassir, Errihani, Hassan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating - administration & dosage; Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis; Biopsy; Breast Neoplasms - chemistry; Breast Neoplasms - drug therapy; Breast Neoplasms - secondary; Care and treatment; Case Report; Conjunctival Neoplasms - chemistry; Conjunctival Neoplasms - drug therapy; Conjunctival Neoplasms - pathology; Dacarbazine - administration & dosage; Development and progression; Diagnosis; Drug Administration Schedule; Fatal Outcome; Female; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Melanoma; Melanoma - chemistry; Melanoma - drug therapy; Melanoma - secondary; Metastasis; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms - secondary; Oropharyngeal Neoplasms - secondary; Palliative Care; Patient outcomes; Prognosis; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 1756-0500; 1756-0500
• DOI: 10.1186/1756-0500-7-621

Breast metastasis is fairly uncommon and prognosis is dismal. Breast metastasis might be the first symptom or may occur during the course of other malignancies dominantly arising from the contralateral breast. Leukemia, lung cancer and conjunctival melanoma may spread to the breast. A 43-year-old female patient was operated on for conjunctival melanoma. After two years the disease progressed quickly and cutaneous nodes appeared on the back and paraumbilical region. Physical and radiological examination showed a breast mass. No palpable lymph's nodes were noted. She underwent an open biopsy. Histopathologic examination and immunohistochemistry confirmed breast metastases from melanoma. During post-operative staging multiple nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal lesions were also objective. The patient was given palliative dacarbazine (250 mg/m2 per day for 4 days) for 4 cycles. She died 4 months after the diagnosis of breast metastases. Histopathological evaluation should be mandatory in patients with medical history of malignancies in order to differentiate new primary tumors, metastases, and benign tumors.