A rare case report of recurrent metastatic breast cancer mimicking primary pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Highlights Secondary pancreatic tumors are rare, of which a breast primary is extremely uncommon. Invasive lobular carcinoma is the commonest breast cancer histological subtype metastasizing to the pancreas. Imaging characteristics can usually adequately differentiate secondary from primary pancreatic tumors. Pancreatic metastasectomy offers reasonably good long-term survival rates and can even be curative in selected cases.

Late pancreatic metastasis of breast cancer or primary cancer?

“…However, the concomitant cholestasis can contribute to very elevated levels of CA19-9 and this phenomenon is described also in benign obstructions of pancreatitis, cholangitis, or cirrhosis, and levels over 1,000 U/ml may normalize with the obstruction treatment 18 . Besides, high level of CA 19-9 and normal CA15-3 have been described in patients with confirmed pancreatic metastasis of breast cancer 20,21 . The increase of CA19-9 after surgery of breast cancer may indicate future distant metastasis to the digestive tract 22 .…”