A case report of esophageal metastasis from breast cancer

Introduction: The common metastatic sites of breast carcinoma are the lymph nodes, liver, lungs and bone. Breast cancer metastasis to esophagus is a rarity with an incidence of 0.03% to 0.6%. Patient concerns: A 63-year-old woman presented with worsening dysphagia of 13 months duration. Thirteen years before, the patient had a right modified radical mastectomy and radiotherapy treatment for breast carcinoma. Diagnosis: Barium swallow presented a stricture of 4 cm length in the midthoracic esophagus. On endoscopy, a stricture was found in the esophageal lumen at the 28th centimeter. Biopsy showed metastatic esophageal carcinoma. Interventions and outcomes: Chemotherapy with gemcitabine and capecitabine was provided as the treatment. After treatment, her dysphagia markedly improved. Conclusion: Esophageal involvement in metastatic breast cancer is rare. Dysphagia after breast cancer treatment can indicate metastasis. Histopathologic examination is required to confirm the diagnosis.