Breast cancer metastasis presenting as conjunctival chemosis

Abstract

A 72-year-old woman presented with a painful right eye. A few weeks before, she had noticed a red, swollen area in the conjunctiva of the same eye. On slit lamp examination, it appeared as chemosis and vascular injection; artificial tears were prescribed. A month later, a firm mass developed on the superotemporal orbital rim, in the area of the lacrimal gland. A CT scan revealed infiltrative structures in both the left and right orbit, with contrast staining in the right lacrimal gland and near the left optic nerve. A biopsy was taken of the conjunctival swelling as well as of the lacrimal gland. Both tissues showed infiltration with lobular breast carcinoma metastases.