Breast metastases from colorectal cancer: case report and review of literature

Colorectal cancer most commonly metastasizes to the liver, lung and distant lymph nodes. Breast metastases are extremely rare and account for 0.5-6% of all breast malignancies. The most common cancers that metastasize to the breast are the contralateral breast tumor followed by metastasis from hematological malignancies, malignant melanoma, sarcoma, lung, prostate, ovary, kidney, stomach and carcinoid. Despite its rarity, when present, they are associated with a poor prognosis due to disease dissemination. Metastatic disease to the breast is an important diagnostic issue because its treatment differs greatly from that of primary cancer. The median overall survival is estimated to be less than one year after diagnosis of breast metastases. In some cases a palliative excision can be considered just for local control if is present pain, ulceration or in case of response to treatment and unique disease site. So it is important to differentiate breast metastases from primary breast carcinoma to avoid unnecessary surgical treatment.