Journal of Breast Cancer  2012;15(1):128-132

doi:10.4048/jbc.2012.15.1.128

A Case Report of Breast Cancer with Extensive Pulmonary Lymphovascular Tumor Emboli.

Yaewon YANG 1 ; Younak CHOI ; Seung Hoon BEOM ; Jin Won KIM ; Yoon Kyung JOEN ; Nam Joong KIM ; Joo Hyun KIM ; Seock Ah IM ; Kyung Hun LEE

Affiliations

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Keywords

Breast neoplasms; Ixabepilone; Tumor embolism

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

We describe a patient with breast cancer who relapsed with an extensive pulmonary lymphovascular tumor embolism. A 38-year-old female, who previously received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and curative resection of breast cancer, underwent adjuvant chemotherapy and was referred to the emergency room because of sudden-onset pleuritic chest pain lasting for 10 days. Despite a trial of empirical antibiotics, the chest pain and the extent of consolidative lung lesion on chest radiographs rapidly aggravated. We performed an open lung biopsy to confirm the etiology. The histopathological review revealed a hemorrhagic infarction caused by lymphovascular tumor emboli from a metastatic breast carcinoma. Palliative first-line chemotherapy was administered, consisting of ixabepilone and capecitabine, and the lung lesion improved markedly.