Metastatic gastric carcinoma to the breast: A�case�report and review of the Chinese literature

Abstract

Breast metastasis is extremely unusual in gastric cancer patients worldwide. We herein report the case of a 39-year-old female Chinese patient presenting with symptoms of inflammation in the left breast. A biopsy did not reveal any evidence of malignancy. A modified radical mastectomy was performed and the postoperative pathological examination revealed infiltration by signet ring cell gastric carcinoma. A review of the Chinese literature was performed, and a total of 16 patients with breast metastasis from gastric carcinoma have been reported from 1990 onwards. This condition is associated with a poor prognosis, with a survival time of 1 month to 4 years. More studies are required to determine the optimal treatment.