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Ectopic Breast Cancer: Case Report and Review of the Literature

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Abstract

Ectopic breast tissue comes in two forms: supernumerary and aberrant. Despite morphologic differences, ectopic breast tissue presents characteristics analogous to orthotopic breast tissue in terms of function and, most importantly, pathologic degeneration. Data in the literature concerning its precise incidence, the probability of malignant degeneration, and its standardized management are scarce and controversial. This study selected more than 100 years of literature, and this report discusses a case of ectopic breast cancer treatment, suggesting novel therapeutic advice that could bring considerable clinical advantages, improve cosmetic results, and reduce the psychological impact on patients.

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Notes

  1. Ectopic breast tissue affects 2 to 6 % of females, with the highest incidence among Japanese and the lowest incidence among Caucasians [8], and 1 to 3 % of males [21].

  2. Polymastia may be unilateral (more frequently on the left side) or bilateral, located along the milk line above or below orthotopic breasts [22].

  3. Polythelia generally presents itself as a unilateral lesion, most frequently located above the normal nipple (87 %) as opposed to below it (13 %) [22].

  4. Reported congenital anomalies include nervous, cardiovascular, gastroenteric, skeletal, and, particularly, renal abnormalities [2, 22–24].

  5. Because of complexities specific to lymphatic drainage, clinical treatment of patients with tumors such as breast cancers involves lymphatic mapping with either vital dyes and direct vision at surgery or radiopharmaceuticals for scintigraphic mapping with a gamma camera and intraoperative identification of sentinel lymph nodes using a specially built probe [27, 28].

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Acknowledgment

The authors declare that they have no commercial interest. No organization sponsored the research. All the authors have full control of all primary data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Breast Unit, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Largo Rosanna Benzi 8, 16132, Genoa, Italy

    Elisa Francone, Federica Murelli, Maria Santina Bruno, Enrico Traverso & Daniele Friedman

  2. Department of Philosophy, Columbia University, 1150 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY, 10027, USA

    Marco J. Nathan

Authors
  1. Elisa Francone
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  2. Marco J. Nathan
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  3. Federica Murelli
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  4. Maria Santina Bruno
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  5. Enrico Traverso
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  6. Daniele Friedman
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Correspondence to Elisa Francone.

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Francone, E., Nathan, M.J., Murelli, F. et al. Ectopic Breast Cancer: Case Report and Review of the Literature. Aesth Plast Surg 37, 746–749 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-013-0125-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-013-0125-1

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