Acute cholecystitis as a rare presentation of metastatic breast carcinoma of the gallbladder: A case report and review of the literature

Pan Afr Med J. 2014 Mar 19:17:216. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2014.17.216.3911. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Breast cancer is usually associated with metastases to lungs, bones and liver. Breast carcinoma metastasizing to the gallbladder is very rare. We report the case of 45-year-old female with clinical presentation of acute Cholecystitis, who underwent cholecystectomy in emergency. The Gallbladder showed a nodule on the Gallbladder wall. Histological examination disclosed a metastasis from a lobular breast carcinoma with positive hormone receptors. The patient had received three months previously a right mastectomy with axillar dissection followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapyfor lobular breast cancer stage III, PT3N1M0, showing hormone receptors. We present a rare case of acute cholecystitis from metastatic breast cancer three months after management of primary cancer.

Keywords: Acute cholecystitis; gallbladder; lobular breast carcinoma; metastatic breast cancer.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Breast Neoplasms / therapy
  • Carcinoma, Lobular / pathology*
  • Carcinoma, Lobular / therapy
  • Cholecystectomy / methods
  • Cholecystitis, Acute / diagnosis
  • Cholecystitis, Acute / etiology*
  • Cholecystitis, Acute / surgery
  • Female
  • Gallbladder Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Gallbladder Neoplasms / pathology
  • Gallbladder Neoplasms / secondary
  • Humans
  • Mastectomy / methods
  • Middle Aged