Skin thickening as unique pathologic sign of an inflammatory breast cancer: a case report and review of the literature

Clin Ter. 2011;162(4):351-4.

Abstract

We report the case of a 42-year-old woman with inflammatory cancer of the right breast treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, additional chemotherapy, and consolidative radiotherapy (RT), that has metastatized to the chest wall and presented a resumption of disease on the contralateral breast. Magnetic Resonance (MR), performed after the second phase's fourth round of additional chemotherapy, showed a modest reduction of scar metastases on the right and a contralateral anomalous skin thickening with high signal intensity in T2 weighted images (WI) with multiple mass-like enhancements located in a wide area of the central region at the union of higher quadrants. These findings were suggestive for resumption of contralateral disease; the biopsy confirmed an inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) infiltrating lobular type with high mitotic rate. A retrospective evaluation of the previous MR exam, performed 5 months before, was conducted: on the left side only a modest skin thickening was found as an early sign. A careful review of the literature has confirmed that skin thickening, increased density and clinical signs of inflammation are the most common findings in inflammatory cancer. We report the case of a patient affected by IBC whose unique early sign of resumption on the contralateral breast was skin thickening.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Carcinoma, Lobular / diagnosis
  • Carcinoma, Lobular / drug therapy
  • Carcinoma, Lobular / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Lobular / radiotherapy
  • Carcinoma, Lobular / secondary*
  • Carcinoma, Lobular / surgery
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Cicatrix / pathology*
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Edema / etiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Inflammatory Breast Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Inflammatory Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Inflammatory Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Inflammatory Breast Neoplasms / radiotherapy
  • Inflammatory Breast Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Inflammatory Breast Neoplasms / surgery
  • Lymphatic Metastasis
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Mastectomy
  • Muscle Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Muscle Neoplasms / secondary
  • Neoadjuvant Therapy
  • Pectoralis Muscles / pathology
  • Radiotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Skin / pathology*
  • Skin Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Skin Neoplasms / pathology
  • Skin Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Thoracic Wall