Pathology Inc. Consensus Conference
July 26th, 2006

Fascinoma of the Day: Metatastic Breast Carcinoma to the Stomach, Mimicking Primary Gastric Signet Ring Carcinoma

Dr. Mary Beth Shwayder presented a complicated case of breast cancer metastatic to the stomach, presenting with signet ring features. Indeed, the case was originally diagnosed as a primary signet ring carcinoma. It was a chance remark that the surgeon made of a remote history of a previous breast carcinoma in this patient, which led to a further immunohistological evaluation of the tumor and the eventual diagnosis. The patient's original breast cancer histopathology was unavailable for comparative review.

Journal Articles Reviewed

The role of cytokeratins 20 and 7 and estrogen receptor analysis in separation of metastatic lobular carcinoma of the breast and metastatic signet ring cell carcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract. APMIS. 2000 Jun;108(6):467-72 Tot T.

Gastric metastasis of mammary signet ring cell carcinoma--a differential diagnosis with primary gastric signet ring cell carcinoma. J Korean Med Sci. 1997 Jun;12(3):256-61 Yim H, etal

Metastasizing signet ring cell carcinoma of the stomach-mimicking bilateral inflammatory breast cancer. Gynecol Oncol. 1999 Sep;74(3):491-4. Briest S, etal.

The Doctor's Doctor-Breast Cancer Histopathological Subtypes