We present the case of a 36-year-old woman who underwent ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT with suspicion of a primary breast malignancy. However, PET/CT detected an occult renal cell carcinoma with metastases to the thyroid, breast, lungs and lymph nodes. Thyroid and breast metastases are atypical metastatic sites of renal cell carcinoma. Breast metastases from extra mammary tissue are extremely rare, more so from renal cell carcinoma. Histopathologic confirmation of the breast lesions is imperative to avoid unnecessary mastectomy and imaging can help in raising the suspicion of metastatic involvement versus primary breast malignancy.
Adult ; Breast ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Mastectomy ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography ; Thyroid Gland

We present the case of a 36-year-old woman who underwent ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT with suspicion of a primary breast malignancy. However, PET/CT detected an occult renal cell carcinoma with metastases to the thyroid, breast, lungs and lymph nodes. Thyroid and breast metastases are atypical metastatic sites of renal cell carcinoma. Breast metastases from extra mammary tissue are extremely rare, more so from renal cell carcinoma. Histopathologic confirmation of the breast lesions is imperative to avoid unnecessary mastectomy and imaging can help in raising the suspicion of metastatic involvement versus primary breast malignancy.