Type:
Educational Exhibit
Keywords:
Education, MR, CT, Breast, Cancer
Authors:
C. Crowley, E. O' Shea, S. Power, T. J. Browne, M. Jansen, M. F. J. Ryan, J. Barry, P. F. Smiddy; Cork/IE
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2018/C-3182
Background
Breast cancer is the most prevalent female malignancy.
In Ireland,
one in every nine women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime [1].
Despite recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer,
up to one-third of those diagnosed will go on to develop metastatic disease [2].
Common sites for metastasis include the bone,
lungs,
regional lymph nodes,
liver and brain.
The orbit is a much less frequent site of spread.
Even so,
breast cancer is the most common primary malignancy to spread to the orbit,
making up 40% of cases [3].
The incidence of orbital metastases among patients with breast cancer is 8-10% [4].
They are generally a feature of disseminated disease,
presenting 4.5-6.5 years after the initial diagnosis on average [3,
5].
Rarely do they represent the initial manifestation of an undiagnosed breast primary,
with only a handful of cases being described in the literature[6-12].
This poster describes three cases of undiagnosed breast cancer who presented with ophthalmic signs and symptoms.
We also provide an overview on the orbital manifestations of breast cancer and on the role that radiology plays in the diagnosis of such cases.