Metastatic Carcinomatosis Cirrhosis: A Rare Pattern of Metastasis

Cureus. 2019 Jan 13;11(1):e3876. doi: 10.7759/cureus.3876.

Abstract

Metastatic carcinomatosis cirrhosis is a pattern of metastasis in which malignancy infiltrates the liver and provokes hepatic fibrosis. It is an especially rare complication of several malignancies, including breast cancer. We report a case of a 61-year-old woman with lobular carcinoma of the breast who presented with confusion and rising serum tumor markers without evidence of disease recurrence on imaging. She subsequently developed clinical evidence of hepatic dysfunction and a liver biopsy revealed diffuse infiltration of the liver by breast carcinoma with surrounding fibrous tissue deposition, consistent with metastatic carcinomatosis cirrhosis. This case highlights a rare and clinically significant pattern of metastasis and is the first to describe lobular carcinoma of the breast causing metastatic carcinomatosis cirrhosis.

Keywords: breast cancer; hepatic cirrhosis; hepatic tumor; liver cirrhosis; liver failure; liver metastases; metastatic disease.

Publication types

  • Case Reports