Clinical analysis of female occult breast cancer with axillary neck node metastasis and literature reviews / 中国医师进修杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the characteristic,diagnosis,clinical staging, treatment and clinical prognosis of occult breast carcinoma (OBC). Method Forty-six cases of OBC were analyzed retrospectively with the clinical and follow-up information that were confirmed by postoperative pathologic diagnosis from November 1981 to November 2005. Results All patients showed axillary node enlargement as the first sign and were operated.The operation included axillary node excision in 2 patients,radical mastec-tomy or modified radical mastectomy in 44 patients. Forty-five cases got follow-up for 1-22 years,33 cases had existed 3 years,18 cases had existed 5 years,8 cases had existed 10 years. Conclusions For axillary mass which causes are uncertain ,the possibility of OBC should be considered .Meanwhile excision and pathological examination is necessary.The metastatic histological structure and immunohistochemical index of the axillary nodes usually provide important clue for the source of this tumor.Radical or modified mastectomy is the best method, and pest-operative chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy should be done. It has been showed that targeted therapy is very important to breast cancer with C-erbB-2 positive recently.To the cases that neck lymphatic metastasis is M4G3 positive by immunohistochemical examination and no primary focus clinically, the diagnosis of OBC should be considered. The cases without primary focus have better prognosis than those with primary focus.