Thoracic metastasis of breast carcinoma. Current status

Breast cancer is a common pathology. It is clinically considered as a localized or regionally developing illness at the time of diagnosis, but the appearance of metastases is a frequent complication. Patients are commonly referred with local or regional recurrence of the disease. Invasive metastatic disease found in the chest can be differentiated according to area as follows: pulmonary parenchyma (nodes and/or carcinomatosis lymphangitis), pleural cavity (pleural effusion and/or tumor), pericardial effusion and the thoracic wall. The appearance of pulmonary parenchymal metastases secondary to breast cancer can be further categorized into three types, neoplastic lymphangitis, multiple and single pulmonary nodes. Pleural effusion is the commonest thoracic affection in patients with this pathology. It is accepted that 46% of patients with disseminating breast cancers will develop pleural metastases where the presentation is pericardial effusion, and possible cardiac tamponade. Finally, metastatic disease may be found localized to within the thoracic wall. Breast cancer can produce diverse problems in the thoracic wall, and local recurrence is most frequent at the mastectomy site.