Breast and ovarian metastases from mucinous carcinoma of the rectum: A case report

Abstract

A 32-year-old woman undergoing Hartmann's operation due to advanced rectal cancer and diagnosed pathologically with signet-ring cell carcinoma, Rs, Type 3, se, n4 (+), underwent adjuvant chemotherapy with 5FU, CDDP, and CPT-11. Four months later, she found in abdominal computed tomography (CT) to have a pelvic mass and simultaneously a right-side breast tumor. In abdominal CT at 50 days later, the pelvic mass had grown to 20 x 15 x 15cm , requiring resection to remove her abdominal pain. The resected specimen was pathologically diagnosed as signet-ring cell carcinoma, the same as the rectal lesion. Needle biopsy also showed the breast tumor to be signet-ring cell carcinoma. The definitive diagnosis was metachronous breast and ovarian metastases from rectal signet-ring cell carcinoma, clinically a very rare case. ©2006 The Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery.