Esophageal metastasis of breast carcinoma

Esophageal metastasis from primary breast cancer is an unusual manifestation. We recently treated a patient with dysphagia, whose breast cancer had been treated in the distant past. A 70-year-old woman had been followed regularly in our outpatient clinic for 14 years after her primary breast cancer treatment, with no apparent tumor recurrence. After 2 years absence, she consulted our clinic with progressive dysphagia. Contrast esophagography and endoscopic examination with ultrasonography revealed a protruding submucosal tumor that was histopathologically diagnosed as esophageal metastasis of breast cancer. Radiation therapy involving a total of 60 Gy in combination with aromatase inhibitor was given. The patient’s dysphagia was greatly relieved, concomitant with marked improvement of the stenotic lesion on imaging. Since treatment for recurrent breast cancer is generally palliative, systemic (chemo- and/or endocrine-) therapy in combination with radiotherapy is the first-line option for esophageal metastasis of breast cancer.