Metastatic carcinoma of the breast resembling early gastric carcinoma

We describe a case of gastric metastasis from a lobular carcinoma of the breast in a 45-year-old woman who had undergone a left mastectomy with axillary dissection 7 years earlier. At the current presentation, she had been experiencing progressive epigastric discomfort for 3 months. The initial diagnosis was early gastric carcinoma, diffuse type, based on gastric biopsy findings and ultrasonographic endoscopy. A definitive diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer was confirmed after subtotal gastrectomy of a presumed primary early gastric carcinoma. Although gastrointestinal metastases from breast cancer are not rare, the early stage of the gastric lesion and the absence of further disease dissemination make this case unusual. The onset of gastrointestinal symptoms in a patient with a history of breast carcinoma should prompt the physician to rule out the possibility of gastric metastases.