Isolated Colonic Metastasis From Primary Invasive Ductal Breast Carcinoma: Role of Tumor Marker in Early Diagnosis

Abstract

A 59-year-old woman with past medical history significant for invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast successfully treated with right mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection, radiation, and adjuvant chemotherapy presented with vague abdominal discomfort. She was found to have an elevated CEA level on blood work, which deemed further evaluation. Work up with colonoscopy and biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma of the colon with signet ring cell features consistent with metastatic disease. A primary breast tumor with metastasis to colon is a rare finding. Thus, patients presenting with elevated tumor markers must be judiciously investigated for gastrointestinal tract metastasis.

J Med Cases. 2012;3(1):49-53
doi: https://doi.org/10.4021/jmc417w