Widespread metastatic breast cancer to the bowel: An unexpected finding during colonoscopy

Abstract

Metastatic neoplasms to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are an uncommon entity and in extremely rare cases originate from the breast. The clinical manifestations of metastatic breast cancer into the GI tract are frequently non-specific, and the interval between the diagnosis of lobular carcinoma and GI metastasis can often delay up to 30 years. Here, we present a 73-year-old female with an unusual colonoscopy that revealed a submucosa nodular infiltrate throughout all the colon with a cobblestone-like appearance, which was later confirmed to be metastatic lobular carcinoma of the breast that was surgically removed 15 years early. A couple of months later, she developed malignant small bowel obstruction and laparotomy revealed extended small bowel and colonic metastatic involvement.