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Breast carcinoma metastatic to the nasopharynx

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

Ghaleb A. Saab*
Affiliation:
Departments of Medicine, Pathology and Otolaryngology, American University Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
Fadi W. Abdul-Karim
Affiliation:
Departments of Medicine, Pathology and Otolaryngology, American University Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
Milhem Samara
Affiliation:
Departments of Medicine, Pathology and Otolaryngology, American University Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
*
Ghalbe Saab, M.D., 9713 Hall Road, Potomac, Maryland 20854, U.S.A.

Abstract

A case report of a patient with adenocarcinoma of the breast with matastasis to the nasopharynx is described. The patient presented initially with pulmonary metastasis followed later by metastasis to the left jugulo-digastric lymph nodes. A prominent but asymptomatic nasopharyngeal mass was concomitantly discovered on head and neck examination. Three months later, symptoms of panhypopituitarism developed. Invasion of the base of the skull and pituitary were documented. Patients with adenocarcinoma of the breast and high cervical node metastasis should have a thorough otolaryngologic and head and neck evaluation.

Metastatic carcinoma to the nasopharynx is an extremely rare occurrence. Only two cases of bronchogenic carcinoma of the lung and two cases of hypernephroma metastatic to the nasopharynx have been reported in the literature (Bernstein et al., 1966). We present what we believe to be the first case of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the breast to the nasopharynx.

Type
Clinical Records
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1987

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References

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