Primary ectopic axillary breast cancer: a case series 

Abstract

Introduction Ectopic breast tissue is present in 2–6% of women. Ectopic breast cancer represents an uncommon disease accounting for about 0.3% of all breast neoplasms, limiting the available evidence. Thus, we aim to report long-term outcomes in five cases treated at our institution. Case series Our Tunisian patients’ median age was 48 years (33–60 years), and the median follow-up was 8 years (4–10 years). The ectopic breast tissue was located four times in the right axilla. The median tumor size was 25 mm (15–55 mm). Four of the patients underwent a wide local excision and axillary lymph node dissection. Three of those women had positive lymph nodes; thus, they received adjuvant chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy. The patient with a negative lymph node (case 5) had adjuvant radiation therapy and hormonal therapy. One of the patients (case 1) had a positive supraclavicular lymph node and received radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy. The latter developed a locoregional relapse after 4 years and was treated with mastectomy and chemotherapy. One patient (case 4) had a distant metastasis after 2 years of follow-up and received chemotherapy. The three other patients were free of relapse during their follow-up period. Conclusion Primary axillary breast carcinoma is a rare entity. Despite the paucity of literature, our findings and authors’ recommendations suggest that local excision can be performed safely with promising outcomes in this subset of patients.

Primary Ectopic Breast Carcinoma in Man Mimicking Keloid

“…Four of these cases were managed by wide excision and lymphadenectomy with chemoradiation. No recurrence was reported among them, except one case which had hepatic metastasis ( 6 ).…”

Occult Invasive Lobular Carcinoma Presenting as an Axillary Skin Metastatic Lesion Underwent Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy and Surgical Resection: A Case Report and Review of Literature

“… 4 Ectopic breast carcinoma (EBC) occurs when a carcinoma arises from an EBT, and is quite rare, only 0.3% of breast cancers. 40 Histologically, it is necessary to have a normal adjacent breast parenchyma with a lack of lymphatic tissue to confirm the diagnosis of EBC and rule out a metastatic origin. 41 In our patient’s initial presentation, she had no clinically or radiologically detected breast lesion, which put us on a dilemma whether we were facing a cutaneous breast metastasis with occult primary or EBC with axillary LN metastasis.…”

Ectopic breast carcinoma

“…The scarcity of such cases, as well as the unavailability of large case series, accounts for the lack of specific guidelines regarding this rare occurrence. Presentation of the lesion is mostly as a firm mass, which must be distinguished from nodal metastasis, reactive lymphadenopathy, hidradenitis, and lipomas [2,4]. Published reports on CABT state that mammographic imaging is of limited use in the diagnosis of malignancy due to the localization of the axillary breast tissue away from the field of view [5][6][7].…”

“…Presentation of the lesion is mostly as a firm mass, which must be distinguished from nodal metastasis, reactive lymphadenopathy, hidradenitis, and lipomas [2,4]. Published reports on CABT state that mammographic imaging is of limited use in the diagnosis of malignancy due to the localization of the axillary breast tissue away from the field of view [5][6][7]. Despite its localization, however, mammographic evidence of malignancy in aberrant breast tissue has been previously reported as the first indication of CABT.…”

“…The presence of accessory breast tissue is recorded in about 2–6% of the general female population [ 1 , 2 ]. In the vast majority of patients, this is an asymptomatic mass located most often in the axillary fossa, resembling an enlarged axillary lymph node.…”