Oral metastasis of breast carcinoma diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology. A case report

Acta Cytol. 2003 Nov-Dec;47(6):1074-6. doi: 10.1159/000326650.

Abstract

Background: Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is an important technique in the diagnosis of oral and maxillofacial conditions. The purpose of the present paper is to report a case of oral metastasis of breast carcinoma diagnosed by FNAC.

Case: A 45-year-old, black woman was referred for evaluation of symptomatic swelling in the left mandible. The medical history revealed that the patient had undergone extensive surgery to remove a lobular carcinoma. She had finished chemotherapy treatment about 5 months earlier. Due to the main diagnostic considerations of metastatic and inflammatory disease, FNAC was performed. The cytologic picture was consistent with a metastatic glandular neoplasm.

Conclusion: FNAC is a safe, reliable, cost-effective and easy procedure and sometimes eliminates the need for open biopsy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Actinomycosis / pathology
  • Biopsy, Fine-Needle
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Carcinoma / secondary*
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mandibular Neoplasms / secondary
  • Middle Aged
  • Mouth Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Neoplasm Metastasis / pathology*
  • Osteomyelitis / pathology
  • Periodontal Diseases / pathology
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Treatment Refusal